A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit

Key Lime Pie

2012-01-30T14:22:00.000Z

Well, maybe I should just call it Ordinary Lime Pie, because obviously I am unable to get key limes here in Manchester, but that doesn't make the pie any less good, so I'll just stick with the better known and let's face it better sounding name.

When I was 16 I went on a three week road trip around Florida with my sister. That's when I discovered Key Lime Pie. I fell in love straight away. Key Lime Pie is not all that common here in the UK, so on the rare occassion that I do see it somewhere I'll order it. Why it has taken me 18 years to try and make my own, I have no idea.

All I can say is now that I have made it, I won't wait another 18 years to make it again. It's really easy, fresh, tangy and sweet at the same time and best of all it takes me right back! Not that I really want to be 16 all over again. I definitely prefer 34!

Oh and if you don't know what to do with the left over egg whites, try making Coconut Macaroons.

I have no idea where the recipe came from. I wrote it down on a piece of paper years ago.

Key Lime Pie

90g butter
225g digestive biscuits (or Graham Cracker if you live in the US)
zest of three limes
150ml lime juice (4-5 limes)
3 large egg yolks
400g condensed milk

Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.

While it's melting, place the biscuits in a large food bag and bash them or roll them with a rolling pin until you have fine, fairly even crumbs.

When completely melted, take the butter of the heat, add the biscuit crumbs and stir until well mixed.

Place the crumb mixture into a 26cm pie dish and press firmly down and up the sides with your fingers, until you have an even thickness. If like me you don't have a pie dish, you can use a springform pan and just press the crumbs about 1 1/2 to 2 fingers width up the sides.

Bake on the middle shelf for 10 minutes, until golden.

While the biscuit base is baking you can make the filling.

Place the egg yolks and lime zest in a large bowl and whisk for about two minutes with an electric whisk. The yolks should start to thicken a bit.

Add the condensed milk and continue to whisk for about 5 minutes.

Finally add the lime juice and give it one final quick whisk to combine.

Remove the crust from the oven and carefully pour the egg mix into the middle, making sure it spreads out evenly.

Place back in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until set but still springy.

Remove and allow to cool. Once cooled completely wrap in cling film and refridgerate until you're ready to serve it.

Enjoy!

It went down rather well at our bring-a-dish dinner party, or potluck dinner as it's known in America. I was hoping for a left-over slice to take a nice daylight picture of today, but all I got the chance to photograph was the empty plate instead. I guess that's better in a way though, isn't it?!

Hello Fresh

2012-01-29T14:37:00.011Z

If you regularly visit this blog you will have read that I am currently on a bit of a drive to bring down the amount I spend on food every month. That doesn't mean I eat less well or boring food, if anything I think it has had the opposite affect and I have been inspired to look for more new recipes to try and cook.

One of the key things I have found to help me with this, is sitting down and making a weekly meal plan and shopping list. It stops me from doing loads of little trips to the shops that end up costing more, from ordering take aways because I can't be bothered coming up with something made from the random ingredients left in my fridge and pantry and from spending loads of money every week on over-cooked and over-priced food in the canteen at work because I have not thought of lunches. The other great thing of course is that it also stops food waste and means I'm also doing just a little bit more for the environment.

I usually sit down for an hour or so on Sundays to browse the web and flick through my collection of cookbooks to come up with a plan for the week. I then spend some time checking what I have already in and what I need to add to my shopping list for Monday's big shop. Now you might say that you don't have the time to do this and also find it difficult to decide what to cook because you might either be very indecisive and find that there is far too much choice or you feel you lack the confidence and experience in the kitchen. This is where Hello Fresh come in and help!

They are a great new company here in the UK who will take over the meal planning AND the shopping for you. This is how it works:

1. You select the number of meals you'd like delivered and the amount of people in your household.

2. Your recipes and groceries will be delivered on Monday evenings between 5pm and 9pm.

3. You can get stuck in and discover the joy of easy to cook, quick and well-balanced meals at home. You won't need any fancy kitchen equipment, masterchef skills or loads of time. The recipes have been put together by chefs and nutritionists and should not take you more than 30 minutes to make.

Isn't that brilliant?! It also is really good value, costing as little as £49 per week for five meals for two people, or even less if you order for four or six. All that plus locally sourced products and optimised delivery routes also means a reduced carbon footprint. What's not to like?

Warm Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad

2012-01-28T11:37:00.003Z

I love sweet vegetables, butternut squash being one of my favourites. So when I saw a recipe for Squash, Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad on We Don't Eat Anything With A Face a couple of weeks ago I bookmarked it straight away. Sweet vegetables, warm spices, earthy lentils and salty cheese, what more could I want?

Lucy and Yuri liked it, too.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it fits in perfectly with my focus on keeping the budget in check by concentrating on frugal but not boring food. Not only are non of the ingredients overly pricy, but it's a perfect meal for left-over lunches, as it can be served warm for dinner and cold for lunch the next day.

The salad leaves start wilting when you top them with the warm squash, sweet potatoes and lentils. So if you are not planning on eating it all and do want to save some left-overs for the next day, just take some out and set it aside before serving the rest on a bed of salad leaves. You can then add more greens the next day to avoid wilted, limp salad leaves spoiling your meal. Or like me serve the salad leaves in a seperate bowl and let everyone assemble it on their plates at the table.

Here is my slightly adapted version...

Warm Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad (serves 4 as a main/8 as a side)

400g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
400g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
50g dried puy lentils, brown lentils, green lentils or beluga lentils
1/2tsp fennel seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp smoked paprika
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
3tbsp olive oil
1 1/2tbsp balsamic vinegar
100g soft goats cheese, crumbled.
rocket, spinach and watercress leaves to serve

Preheat your oven to 190C/Gas 5.

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large baking dish.

Add the spices, butternut squash and sweet potato and stir to mix well, making sure the squash and potatoes are properly coated with the oil and spices.

Roast for 35-40 minutes, turning once, until soft and and beginning to caramelise.

Whilst the veg is in the oven, boil your lentils in salted water. Timings vary depending on which lentils you use. Check the packaging for timings.

Drain and set aside to cool a little. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir.

Allow the vegetables to cool for 10 minutes or so as well, before adding the lentils.

Serve warm (or cold) on a bed of salad leaves.

Top with crumbled soft goats cheese.

Enjoy!

Smoked Mackerel and Avocado Sandwich

2012-01-22T13:12:00.003Z

Smoked Mackerel is one of those things that I regularly put on my shopping list even if I have nothing specific to make with it in mind. I just like having some in the fridge as it's not only healthy, but also delicious and a great additin to a salad, or what my friend H. calls a deli dinner (the kind of dinner where you just have little bits of loads of different stuff, kind of buffet style) and it is also quilckly turned into a pate.

I guess though, that one of my favourite ways to have it is as a filling for a sandwich. When I know that I have a mackerel sandwich in my lunchbox, I spend all morning looking forward to my lunch break. The other night I made a Smoked Mackerel and Avocado Sandwich to go with the Pea, Mint and Lettuce Soup and together they made a delicious and filling dinner.

This is not so much a recipe, more an idea, but here you go:

Smoked Mackerel and Avocado Sandwhich (serves 1)

2 slices of good quality bread or your favourite bread roll
butter
1-2 smoked mackerel fillets (depending on size), skin removed and flaked
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 cherry or baby plum tomatoes, sliced
a handfull of watercress or rocket (arugula) salad leaves
freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Butter your bread or roll.

Top with flaked mackerel, acocado slices, sliced tomatoes and salad leaves.

Season with freshly ground balck pepper if desired.

Enjoy!

Pea, Mint and Lettuce Soup

2012-01-18T09:21:00.000Z

Okay I admit, the words lettuce and soup together might sound strange. For most of us lettuce is there to be eaten raw in salads, but sometimes it actually works really well cooked. You should try it sometime.

This recipe is based on one from an Avoca Cookbook, but I have changed it quite a bit, as I felt the original lacked flavour. Do you sometimes find that you really like the food served in a cafe or restaurant, but then when you buy their cookbook the recipes don't work quite as well?!

If you're Irish or you have been to Ireland you probably know about Avoca. Not the small town in Co. Wicklow, but the shops. They sell nice stuff and most of the stores have a really nice cafe/bistro attached to them. Everything I ate there, especially the soup and cakes I really enjoyed, but I have now tried soup twice from the cookbook I bought and had to doctor both recipes quite a bit to stop them from being bland.

Well the my 'doctored' version not only looked great (that's if you like bright green) it also tasted really good, was pretty quick to make and just hit the right spot on a cold January day.

Pea and Lettuce Soup (serves 4)

50g butter
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 baby gem lettuces, core removed and shredded
500g frozen garden peas
750ml good quality vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
150ml creme fraiche
a small bunch of mint, chopped fine

In a heavy based saucepan melt the butter over medium heat togther with the olive oil.

Sautee the onion until soft and translucent stirring regularly. You want to sautee them slowly, as they are not supposed to go crispy and brown.

Add the shredded lettuce and saute for a couple of minutes before adding the peas.

Continue to cook for 5 minutes or so.

Add the stock and bring to a simmer.

Remove from the heat and liquidise with a stick blender or by carefully puring it into a liquidiser.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Return to the heat and warm through.

Remove from the heat before finally stirring in the creme fraiche.

Sprinkle with mint and serve with your favourite crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Poached Egg and Avocado Toast

2012-01-17T10:36:00.003Z

Most weekday mornings I just have a bowl of cereal, porridge or a buttered crumpet with a cup of Earl Grey tea for breakfast. Today though, the combination of working from home and having planned soup for dinner, meant that I felt like having something a little more substantial and exciting to start the day off with.

When I checked my fridge this morning I found some small avocados that I bought last week and that were getting quite ripe, so I decided to have them on toast with a poached egg to top it all. Delicious.

I guess this isn't really a recipe, but I'll share my method of making poached eggs with you. I have been given some silicon egg poachers for my birthday, but in case you don't have any don't worry it isn't really that difficult to poach eggs without them.

Poached Egg and Avocado Toast (serves 1-2)

2 fresh eggs
a dash of white wine or cider vinegar
1 liter of water
1 avocado (2 if they are really small), sliced
2 slices of your favourite bread, toasted
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the water with a dash of vinegar in a frying pan until just simmering.

Crack one eggs into a small cup, being careful not to damage the yolk. The eggs should be really fresh, old eggs don't poach well.

Now take a spoon into one hand and the cup containing the egg in your other. Swirl the water in the frying pan, so that you create a bit of a whirl pool effect and bring the cup close to the surface of the water before you pour the egg from the cup into the middle of of the whirling water. That way the whites get 'swirled' around your yolk and it stops your egg from spreading out too much.

Your pan should be big enough so that you can poach two eggs at the same time. Just repeat the previous step adding the second egg, making sure it is not too close to the first one.

Keep the eggs on a very low simmer for around three minutes. If you like your yolks a bit firmer, you might want to give them four minutes.

Remove from the pan carefully with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate lined with kitchen towel to drain.

Arrange the sliced avocado on top of your hot buttered toast and top with a poached egg.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper as desired.

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

2012-01-15T14:42:00.011Z

As you might have read in my previous posts, I'm on a bit of an economy drive. For a few months now I've been keeping a houshold book and realised that I spend a lot of money on food that I either never cook, which of course is not just bad for the environment, but also for my bank balance and that I spend far too much on bad canteen food at work.

Of course as a food lover that doesn't mean that I would eat less well or bad food to save money. It also doesn't mean that I don't still peruse websites such as Fine Food Specialist and order some Chinese Flower Tea as a special treat to myself. In fact if anything I think I'm eating better, as I plan meals for the week ahead, avoiding waste and making sure that I include seasonal produce and plenty of healthy options instead of opting for a lazy after work take away.

One of the seasonal fruits available here in England at the moment is Forced Rhubarb, which is beautifully pink and sweet and such a nice treat on these cold January days when you might just be getting tired of the other local seasonal produce available, such as cabbages and kale.

I guess that's the reason why this weekend's Guardian featured a couple of Dan Lepard's rhubarb recipes. The Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake looked so good that my friend H and I got to work in the kitchen yesterday afternoon. Delicious sweet and tangy rhubarb and warm spices, how could that not be good. If you cannot get the early forced rhubarb where you live, just wait a few months and make it with normal rhubarb. I promise it'll be worth the wait.

By the time the cake was out of the form it was getting a little dark and I also only had my mobile phone camera, so the pictures might not fully do it justice. The first picture shows the beautifully pink, uncooked rhubarb before pouring the cake batter into the pan.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

50g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
400g rhubarb stalks
75g caster sugar
Juice of ½ small lemon
100g dark muscovado sugar
50g black treacle
150g honey
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp each ground cinnamon and mixed spice
150g sour cream
1 medium egg
100g finely chopped glacé or stem ginger
200g wholemeal flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Line a 20cm round springform cake tin with a single sheet of buttered foil, pressed carefully into the base and up the sides.

Cut the rhubarb into 3-4cm pieces, lay tightly in rows across the base, then sprinkle with the caster sugar and lemon juice.

Put the muscovado in a saucepan with the treacle, honey and spices, and bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat, pour into a mixing bowl with the butter and sour cream, and stir to combine.

Beat in the egg, then stir in the ginger, flour and bicarb.

Bake for about an hour. (Mine took 1 hour and 5minutes, but I covered it loosely after about 50 minutes with some foil to stop the top from getting too dark.)

Leave to cool a little before upturning carefully and lifting off the foil.

Serve with a dollop of craime fraiche or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Imjadara (Lentils and Bulgur)

2012-01-10T11:51:00.002Z

The easy on the budget meals continue....

When I came across a picture of this recipe on pinterest the other day and then looked at it on Egg and Soldier, I knew I would have to try it. I had heard of Mujadara before, which is basically the same apart from using rice with the lentils, but I do really like bulgur and am always looking for new ways of having it.

In a way this is such simple food, but it is full of flavour and you know you are being good to yourself when you're eating it. I had mine warm with some Roasted Curried Cauliflower (I'll post that soon) last night and a spoon full of thick Greek Yoghurt, but it was equally good today as a cold lunch salad. I'm really looking forward to experimenting with this as a basis for salads, adding some chickpeas, cucumber, fresh corriander and tomatoes for example. I think it'll be really versatile.

Imjadara (serves 4)

2 cups stock (vegetable or beef)
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
a pinch of cayenne
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/2 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
2/3 cups coarse-ground bulgur
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onions, halved and thickly sliced

In a large heavy based sauce pan bring the stock to a boil.

Add the tomato paste and all spices except the salt and pepper.

Add the lentils, re-place the lid and simmer for about 15minutes.

Whilst the lentils are simmering, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan.

Add the onions and fry over low to medium heat for about 30-35 minutes, stirring often, until they’re soft and brown.

After 15 minutes check the lentils, add in the bulghur, put the lid back on and cook over very low heat for another 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat and rest for another 10 minutes or so, after which time the bulgur should be tender and nicely plumped.

Stir in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the lentils and bulgur topped with the onions and serve with thick Greek yogurt and salad.

Enjoy!

Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Chili Beans

2012-01-09T10:42:00.000Z

I have been on an economy drive for a few months now. Well, I guess some people would still consider that I spend way too much on non-essential stuff and indulge in luxuries, such as a pre-Christmas New York trip and my twentieth or so (who counts) pair of shoes, but we all have things that for us are priorities, thangs that make us happy and on which we do not want to cut back. Other things however I am trying to cut back on and one of those is food, funnily enough.

It seems like a bit of a contradiction, as I obviously love good food, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this blog, but cutting back for me doesn't mean starting to buy cheap meat or low quality ingredients for example. Instead I'm trying to waste less and consider what I buy more. That means making weekly meal plans and taking home-made lunches to work, rather than buying over-priced, over-cooked food in the canteen.

It doesn't have to be expensive to eat well. But, I guess we all know those nights where we don't like using what we've bought in and instead we nip out to the over-priced local late-opening shop to buy something different for dinner or even order a take away. Well, it's those I'm trying to avoid. I'm trying to stick to what I have planned, which also means that I throw a lot less food away because it has gone smelly or slimy in the depth of the fridge. It seems to be a winning plan all around.

I found the recipe for Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Chili Beans on A Couple of Cooks. It's good food, that's easy to make, tastes wonderful, fills you up and the ingredients don't cost much at all. Plus I am already looking forward to having the left-overs for lunch tomorrow and if you can't bear the thought of eating the same things two days in a row, why not try the beans on a normal baked potato, or with rice or as a Quesadilla filling. I have made a couple of additions to the original recipe, so here's my version.

Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Chili Beans (serves 4)

4 large sweet potatoes
olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tsp vegetable stock powder
2tsp brown sugar
salt, to taste
blak pepper, to taste
3 green onions, sliced
grated cheese cheese
sour cream
fresh corriander, chopped roughly

Preheat the oven to 230C/Gas 8.

Wash the sweet potatoes and prick them with a fork. Place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes, until tender.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan. Sweat the onions over a medium heat until translucent, but not brown.

Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the tomatoes, beans, chili powder, cumin, stock powder and sugar and simmer for about 20 minutes until thickned a little.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Once the sweet potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven and cut them open.

Top with chili beans, shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, and fresh corriander.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Anchovies and Pistachio

2012-01-04T19:14:00.005Z

I had some left-over anchovy and nothing much else in the fridge, so went searching for something to make and found this recipe for Spaghetti with Anchovy and Pistachio on Cook is Good blog. I guess it's a variation on the classic Sicillian Pasta with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs.

My French is more than rusty, but with a little help of google translate I managed to get there in the end. I don't think it'll become my favourite ever spaghetti dish, but it's a good one for a quick midweek dinner, as it is more or less done in the time it takes to cook the spaghetti and the saltiness from the anchovies and crunch from the pistachios make for an interesting dish. If you like your pasta slathered with sauce this isn't one for you though.

Spaghetti with Anchovies and Pistachios (serves 2)

250g spaghetti
40g anchovy fillets in oil
a generous handful of pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
salt

Cook your spaghetti al dente.

While the spaghetti are cooking, place the anchovies and oil they come in in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat.

Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic.

Sautee until the anchovies have falled apart and set aside.

Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid.

Add the spaghetti to the pan with the anchovies and return to a low heat.

Stir until well coated and leave on the heat for a couple of minutes, adding a little of the cooking liquid until your 'sauce' has the desired consistency.

Add the pistachios, keeping a few aside to sprinkle over the top once plated.

Enjoy!

French Onion Tart

2012-01-04T14:19:00.002Z

This French Onion Tart is an adaptation of the French classic Pissaladiere. The recipe comes from Leon's Book 3 - Baking & Puddings, it uses spelt flour in the pastry, but otherwise is not much different to other Pissaladiere recipes I have seen.

I like savoury tarts, especially if the main ingredient is onion, so when I saw the recipe and needed something to take along to the New Year's Eve dinner, I decided to give it a go. I doubled the amount of pastry and topped the second tart with onion and goat's cheese and both went down well. Here is the recipe as it is in the book.

French Onion Tart (serves 4 for lunch, 8 as a canape)

For the pastry:
125g spelt flour
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
100g cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4tbsp iced water

For the topping:
3tbsp olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1tsp vinegar
50g black olives
6 anchovies, cut in half lengthwise
small bunch of thyme
1 free-range egg, beaten
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

To make the pastry combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a knife (I use my hands, but if you have very warm hands using a knife is a good idea). Leave larger chunks of butter than you would think (about the size of a garlic clove) to make the pastry more flaky.

Drizzle in the ice water and bring it all together in a ball.

Wrap in clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

To make the topping heat the oil in a heavy-based sauce pan and add the sliced onion. Sautee over a medium heat, stirring occassionally. You want them to caramelise, but soft rather than crisp.

Once cooked about 10-15 minutes (it says 7-8 in the book) add the vinegar and 2tsp of water.

Sprinkle with thyme and set aside to cool.

Heat oven to 160C/Gas 3.

Pit and break up the olives a little.

On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick. (I roll it out straight onto baking paper to make the next step easier.)

Transfer to a baking sheet and spread the cooled onions out, leaving a small boarder all round.

Top with olives and anchovies and season with salt and black pepper.

Brush the edges with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy (hot or cold)!

Smoked Mackerel Pate

2012-01-03T15:06:00.003Z

Happy 2012! I hope you've had a good start to the new year so far and wish everyone reading all the best for a prosperous and healthy year ahead.

I got together with friends to see out the old and bring in the new. My friend Sarah opened up her home to us and we all brought drinks and food to share and be merry. To me the perfect way to start the new year: food, drink, friends, laughing, dancing, Jools Holland countdown, midnight hugs and kisses, early hours taxi hunting and a quiet minute before finally falling into bed.

One of the dishes I took along was Smoked Mackerel Pate. So easy and quick to make. I also went to a little more effort and made Pissaladiere, but will share that recipe another day.

Smoked Mackerel Pate (serves 8)

225g smoked mackerel
125g mascarpone cheese
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper (or a little more to taste)
2 tbsps red onion, finely chopped
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Remove the skin from the smoked mackerel and flake it into a bowl.

Add the mascarpone and using a stick blender or food processor, puree until combined smooth.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined.

Serve with crusty bread or crackers.

Enjoy!

Slow-cooked Venison Ragout

2011-12-29T19:38:00.004Z

This is probably the last recipe I'm going to post this year, but I think it's also one of the best. I wish the picture could do the dish justice, but brown food really doesn't photograph all that well, especially on a dark winter evening with crap kitchen lighting.

Nevermind, I'll try to describe how good this was...

I was tempted to lick my plate clean.

I could have bathed in this.

As soon as it was finished I wanted to make it again.

I ate too much even though I still felt the after-effects of Christmas.

It was rich, dark, smooth, fall-apart tender with red currant sweetness, bacon saltiness and mushroom earthiness.

Slow-cooked Venison Ragout (serves 4-6)

vegetable oil for frying
1kg venison, cubed
250g shiitake mushrooms, cut in half
2 shallots, chopped finely
4 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped finely (or pancetta)
2 tbsp flour
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 pint ale
1/2 pint beef stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
4tbsp red currant jelly
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 160C/Gas 3.

Heat the oil in a heavy based oven-proof pan and fry the venison in batches to seal and brown on all sides. Set aside.

In the same pan fry the bacon for a couple of minutes, then shallots and mushrooms (adding a little more oil if needed) for another 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme and fry for another minute or so.

Stir in the flour, making sure it coates everything, before returning the venison to the pan.

Stir and add the ale, stock, soy sauce, Worcester sauce, red currant jelly and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and place in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, until the venison is tender.

Check the seasoning and serve with gnocci, spaetzle or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

It's time....

2011-12-24T12:07:00.003Z

...to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Frohe Weihnachten, God Jul, Feliz Navidad and Joyeux Noel.

Sylvie x

Fish Pie

2011-12-21T21:54:00.001Z

My friend E has moved to Paris, but from time to time when something brings her back to Manchester she might stay at mine. Knowing that I can't possibly compete with French Cuisine and knowing what it means to live abroad and miss some things from 'home', I usually try to cook something very British on the nights she stays.

When E stayed a couple of weeks ago I decided to make a fish pie. I don't know why I don't make it more often, because it is delicious, comforting and if you keep yourself a little organised in the kitchen it isn't all that much faff either. You can also play around with it a bit. I added some steamed, sliced carrot this time and have also used prawns in the past.

Fish Pie (serves 4)

500g mixed fish (haddock or other white fish, smoked haddock, salmon), cut bite-sized
a little butter for the dish
500ml milk
a bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
a little nutmeg
75g butter
40g flour
a small bunch of dill, roughly chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped coarsly
3/4 cup of frozen peas
1 onion, chopped fairly fine or a finely sliced leek
2 - 2 1/2 cups left-over mashed potato (of course you can make it fresh)

Check the fish for any stray bones.

Place the fish in a shallow pan and pour over the milk to cover the fish.

Add the bay leaf, peppercorns and a very fine grating of nutmeg.

Place over a moderate heat, turning it down just before the milk boils.

Leave to simmer gently for 5-10 minutes, until the fish is opaque and tender.

Turn off the heat, remove the fish and strain the liquor to remove the bay leaf.

Set aside.

Melt 40g of butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook till pale biscuit-coloured, stirring almost constantly.

Take of the heat and pour in the strained cooking liquid from the fish (adding more, if necessary, to make 500ml) little by little whilst stirring. Continue until you have added all the liquid and the sauce is smooth.

Return to the hob, bring to a simmer and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

Fold in the fish and peas.

Season with salt, pepper, dill and parsley.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the onions (or the sliced leek) over a low heat in a little butter until they are soft.

You want them to go soft but not colour. Placing a lid on your pan and stirring regularly will help.

Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4.

Gently fold the onions into the fish sauce, add the chopped egg and then transfer to an ovenproof dish.

Top the dish with mashed potato and rough up the top so that you'll have some nice crispy bits once it has baked.

Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven until crisp and golden, and the filling is bubbling.

Enjoy!

Peppermint Creams

2011-12-20T18:44:00.003Z

If you don't like baking or your oven is broken, but you still want to make some sweet treats for Christmas you could make some peppermint creams. Of course you could also make them just because they taste great!

These were made by my friend L for the office and I quickly managed to take a picture and get the recipe of her before they all disappeared.

Thanks L.! x

Peppermint Creams (makes about 3 dozen, depending on size)

1 egg white
340g icing sugar
a few drops peppermint essence, to taste

Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

Whisk the egg white lightly in a bowl until frothy but not stiff.

Sift the icing sugar into the bowl and stir it into the egg white with a wooden spoon until the mixture is stiff.

Knead in the peppermint essence.

Roll the mixture out thin, about 5mm and use a small cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

Refrigerate for 24 hour.

Drizzle with some dark melted chocolate if you like and allow to set.

Enjoy!

The Best Coconut Macaroons

2011-12-12T16:02:00.005Z

What would Christmas time be without some baking? I had a really busy week last week and managed to doublebook myself nearly every night. On top we had a bit of Christmas afternoon for our final year students at work for which I wanted to bake something christmassy.

Being so short on time meant Coconut Macaroons were the perfect solution. No creaming eggs and sugar, no meassuring loads and loads of ingredients, no cutting out different shapes or time-consuming icing. So, if you're strapped for time or just a lazy baker, try them.

My colleagues and students enjoyed the macaroons. They are lighter than most macaroons as they are not packed with loads of coconut, so you still have the lighness of the meringue coming through and the lemon juice adds a nice bit of freshness. I drizzled them with some melted dark chocolate to make them a prettier to look at, but that's completely optional, they are good without.

The Best Coconut Macaroons (makes about 20)

2 egg whites
120g caster sugar
1tbsp lemon juice
140g desiccated coconut

Preheat your oven to 160C/Gas 3 and line a large flat baking tray/cookie sheet with baking paper.

In a large clean bowl (avoid plastic) whisk the egg whites until stiff and you can turn the bowl on its head without them falling out.

Add the sugar and slowly whisk in.

Add the lemon juice and fold into the mixture.

Finally add the coconut and also slowly fold under until well mixed.

Using two teaspoons place small mounds of the mixture onto your lines baking tray and bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes. They should just start to colour and still be a little soft to the touch in the middle.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray, before carefully transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you like you can melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the macaroons or half dip them in it.

Enjoy.

Looking for a Christmas present?

2011-11-22T20:02:00.003Z

I get contacted by companies quite often asking me to review products or new food stuff that's on the market. I often decline, especially when it comes to food, as I'm not all that interested in shop-bought garlic butter or gourmet ready meals. When I was asked though if I wanted to review the nest of bowls and meassuring spoons by Joseph Joseph, I agreed without hesitation.

I had seen these in the kitchen department of a design shop before and liked their brightness. Also, if like me you have a tiny kitchen, but can't help buying cockery and other kitchen stuff all the time, anything that stacks easily and stores away nicely is always worth investing in. The bowls would also be ideal for a camper van or galley kitchen on a boat, as not only do you get two mixing bowls and meassuring spoons, but there is also a colander and a fine mesh sieve. Plus, as everything is made from plastic it would easily survive being taken on tour.

You might also want to check out the other christmas gifts available.

The photographs have been borrowed from the findmeagift.com website.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

2011-11-08T18:23:00.000Z

After two weeks of many perfect sunny (and fairly mild) autumn days, today has been grey and pretty cold. The perfect kind of day for soup to warm the cockles of my heart.

I'm on an economy drive, which means making a meal plan for the week on Sundays and doing one big shop on Mondays, rather than loads of little daily shops which end up being expensive. So I sat down and flicked through some cookbooks for inspiration. Making meal plans also seems as good a reason as any to get back to cooking new recipes again and hopefully as a result getting back to weekly blogging.

On a summer holiday to Ireland a few years ago I was impressed by the food in the Avoca cafes and bought two of their cookbooks, one on baking and for soup. That's where I saw this recipe for Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup, full of goodness and warm spices and thick enough to be suitably substantial for dinner (I guess you could call it stoup). I added a little brown sugar to cut through the acidity of the tomtaoes and a few chilli flakes for a little extra heat, but below is the original recipe.

P.S.: When I reheated the left-overs for lunch today, they had thickened even more and reminded me of a dhal. I added some curry powder and it made it even better, so I'd probably do that straight away next time.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup (serves 4-6)

25g butter
2tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
150g Puy or brown lentils
1/2tsp tumeric
1tsp ground cumin
a pinch of ground cinnamon
3cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 x 400g can tomatoes
1 litre chicken stock (I used vegetable stock)
1 lemon, juice of

In a large saucepan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat.

Add the onion and fry without colouring for about 10 mins till soft and transluscent.

Add the sweet potato, carrot, celery and lentils and stirr to coat in oil.

Add the spices, ginger and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring occassionally.

Add the tomatoes and the stock.

Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook for about 30 minutes until the potatoes and the lentils are soft and tender.

Using a stick blender , puree briefly, so everything is still chunky rather than smooth.

Check the seasoning, reheat and serve.

Enjoy!

Mixed Tomato Chutney

2011-11-01T11:42:00.004Z

I didn't have much luck with growing tomatoes this year. Or maybe let me rephrase that, the tomatoes grew beautifully, but only a handful of them actually ripened enough to eat. I blame it on another rainy and cold summer. So, yesterday I finally went into the garden and picked all the fruit still left and decided that I'd make chutney with the last of the not-so-successful crop.

I found a recipe by Nigel Slater on the Guardian website and thought I couldn't really go wrong with it. The chutney turned out tasty but a little runny, so maybe I'd start with a little less vinegar next time and added more if needed later on in the cooking process. I got three and a half jam jars full, so there might even be a lucky person that'll get some for Christmas. Oh and I used about 3/4 green tomatoes to 1/4 ripe.

Mixed Tomato Chutney (makes about three jam jars)

900g tomatoes, mixed green and red
350g onions, chopped roughly
90g raisins
250g light muscovado sugar
1 medium hot red chilli, chopped finely
1 tsp salt
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
300ml white wine vinegar (I'd start off with 3/4 of that)

Cut the tomatoes in half.

Put the green fruit together with the peeled and roughly chopped onions, into a large stainless- steel or enamelled pan.

Add the raisins, sugar, chilli, salt, mustard seeds and vinegar.

Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and leave to simmer for 25 minutes, giving the occasional stir to reduce the risk of the chutney sticking.

Add the ripe tomatoes and continue to simmer for another 35 minutes.

Then spoon into sterilized jars and seal.

Enjoy!

Colcannon Soup

2011-10-07T13:41:00.000+01:00

After a week of unseasonably warm weather, autumn has now definitely arrived. At mine that means time for soup, lots of it. My friend L dropped by for lunch on Tuesday and since we had discovered in a conversation the week before that we both love cabbage and potatoes, so what better recipe to make than Colcannon Soup?

Colcannon Soup (serves 4-6)

4 tablespoons butter
1 shredded cabbage (I like Savoy best)
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb leek, washed and chopped (white and pale green parts only)
1 1/2 litres vegetable stock
salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
ground nutmeg, to taste
cream, to taste

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the cabbage, potatoes, and leeks. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occassionaly.

Add stock and bring to a boil.

Cover, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the vegetables are soft, this shoul take about 15minutes.

Transfer to a blender or food processor in batches and blitz until smooth or use an immersion stickblender.

Return to the saucepan, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Add a little cream to finish.

Enjoy.

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies

2011-09-18T10:34:00.003+01:00

I baked to put a smile one somebody's face. I think it worked.

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies (makes 12 large cookies)

200g good quality dark chocolate (like Green & Blacks 70%), broken into squares
100g butter , chopped
50g light muscovado sugar
85g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
100g whole pecans
100g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Melt 85g chocolate over a pan of simmering water in a mixing bowl or in the microwave.

Add the butter, sugars, vanilla and egg until and beat until smooth

Stir in three-quarters of both the nuts and remaining chocolate, then the flour and bicarbonate of soda.

Heap 12 spoonfuls, spaced wide apart, on 2 baking sheets (don't spread the mixture), then poke in the reserved nuts and chocolate.

Bake for 12 mins, then leave to cool on the sheets. They will be soft when they come out of the oven and you might think they need longer, but they'll crisp up whilst cooling.

Enjoy!

Blackberry Pecan Streusel Cake

2011-09-12T10:55:00.006+01:00

I'm in the middle of some serious procrastination. I have sharpend my pencils, sorted my e-mail inbox and even my junk mail folder, made various cups of tea and wasted precious time just watching some tarpaulin blowing in the wind outside my office window. I still have no inclination to finish the reports I need to have done for this afternoon. Instead I find myself blogging about a cake that I made a few weeks ago for my friend Lucy's dad's birthday.

The blackberries make the cake really moist and all the spices make it very moreish. I got the recipe from another blog called The English Kitchen and maybe you should nip over there to have a look at Marie's pictures of the cake, as I guess mine could be described as quirky, but maybe it's not so successful at selling the cake.

Blackberry Pecan Crumble Cake
For the cake:
125ml of sour cream
1 large free range egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4.25 ounces plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
4 tbs unsalted butter, softened
3/5 ounces granlulated sugar

1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries

For the streusel:
6 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
2 ounces plus 1 tsp flour (1/4 cup)
1/'2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 ounces chopped toasted pecans (1/4 cup)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small bits

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

Grease an 8 inch square pan and line with baking paper, leaving an overhang to help lift the cake out.

Make the streusel by the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon with your fingertips in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub together until you get coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped pecans. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cloves and nutmeg for the cake batter in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the sour cream, egg and vanilla together in a beaker. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly drizzle in the egg mixture, beating all the while. Beat in the flour mixture, in three additions, beating well after each and scraping down the sides of the bowl each time.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the blackterries over top and then sprinkle the streusel evenly over all.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and the cake tests down when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Cut into squares to serve.

Enjoy!

Almond Biscotti

2011-08-28T14:13:00.003+01:00

When I was asked a few weeks ago if I wanted to review a copy of Stacy Adimando's 'The Cookiepedia' I didn't really have to think twice before saying 'yes, please'. If you like cookies, or biscuits as they are called in the UK, you will like this book. Nothing but biscuit recipes, from the simple to the fancy (and one recipe for brownies, which in my opinion are not really a biscuit, but I guess they aren't really cake either, so I'll overlook that).

The book has a really nice layout and design, with good photographs and lovely illustrations, as well as easy to follow instructions, and plenty of space for your own annotations. Measurements are given in cups and Fahrenheit, so I guess it was initially aimed at the American market (hence the title!). There are easily accessible conversion tables in the front and back cover to help if you're not familiar with American measurements though. Saying that I think it'd still be easier to get yourself a measuring cup if you haven't already got one (1 cup = 250ml).

I'm invited to my friend Sarah's for dinner tonight and thought it'd be nice to bring a little something along, so chose to make the Almond Biscotti. I hope everyone else will enjoy them as much as I do.

Almond Biscotti (makes 3 dozen)

1 3/4 cups plain flour
1/4 cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
4tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

Preaheat your oven to 350F/180C.

Beat together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, working them in one at a time until fully incorporated.

Add the vanilla (or almond extract) and butter, mixing well until the dough begins to form. It will not come together completely. add the almonds and stir to evenly distribute.

Turn the dough out onto a cookie sheet with lightly floured hands. Divide in half and shape into two logs, each about 1 1/2inch thick and 2inches wide. (Leave plenty of room betwen the logs as they will spread whilst baking.)

Bake the biscotti for 20 minutes (this is the first of the two times you'll bake them), rotating the sheet half way through baking. Take it out and let the logs rest for 20 minutes. They'll still be slightly spngy to the touch, kind of like dense bread. Lower the oven temperature to 250F/135C.

After 20 minutes, transfer the logs to a chopping board. Cut them into 1/2-inch slices with a serrated knife. Finally move the slices (cut side up for any ends) back to one sheet and bake for 40 minutes more. the biscotti will still be slightly soft while warm but will harden once they've cooled.

Enjoy!

Rotweinkuchen (Red Wine Chocolate Cake)

2011-07-31T16:31:00.004+01:00

This is one of those cakes that my mum makes quite regularly. It's simple, easy to transport and keeps well, should you have any leftovers for some strange reason. The red wine gives it some depth in flavour and also makes sure it's moist.

So when I went home for a family visit and all went on a holiday at Easter this cake is one of the things we took along with us and enjoyed with a cup of coffee after a five-hour car journey to East Germany. Why I'm only just getting around to blogging about it now, I don't know!

It usually looks a little darker, but we didn't have quite enough cocoa powder left.

Rotweinkuchen (1 cake)

250g softened butter or magarine
250g sugar
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2tbsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1tsp vanilla essence
125ml red wine
125g coarsly chopped or grated dark chocolate

Preheat your oven to 175C/Gas4.

Grease a Kugelhop or fluted cake tin.

In a large bowl cream the butter with the sugar until light in colour.

Add one egg at the time and continue to beat with an electric whisk.

Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt and vanilla essence and red wine and continue to beat until combined.

Sift the baking powder and flour together and add little by little by little whilst continuing to whisk.

Add the chocolate and mix in with a wooden spoon.

Pour into your prepared cake tin and bake for around 60 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Allow to stand for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a cooling rack.

Once cool, dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Easy Cherry Tomato and Feta Tart

2011-07-29T09:04:00.008+01:00

Even if you can't cook you can make this tart and impress at a party.

I made four of them for the annual Cherry Berry party yesterday, two with thyme and two with basil. There are always so many sweets on offer I thought something savoury would be a good idea. It was great with the Greek Salad that L. had made.

A big thanks to L. for organising it this year.

I., if you're reading, this is one for you, much easier than cheesecake!

Easy Cherry Tomato and Feta Tart (serves 4)

1 large sheet of ready-made puff pastry (375g)
250g feta cheese
30-40 cherry or baby plum tomatoes, halved
fresh basil, thyme or oregano, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas4.

Cut the large sheet of pastry in half (or you can leave it as one if you prefer/cut it into small individual portions) and score line around all four edges about 2cm in.

Crumble 3/4 of the feta cheese over the pastry, leaving the scored edge free.

Top with the tomatoes and crumble the rest of the feta over the top.

Season with freshly ground black pepper. You won't need salt as the feta is salty enough.

Bake for 15 minutes, sprinkle with herbs of your choice and return to the oven for another 5-10minutes until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.

Serve hot or cold.

Enjoy!

Roasted Beet and Rocket Salad

2011-07-13T11:45:00.005+01:00

Remember I had dinner with friends after having been sent some cookbooks? I know it was a while ago and it has taken me a lot longer than planned to write about the final recipe, but better late than never.

The third and final dish I tried from The Free Range Cook was Roasted Beet and Rocket Salad and I'll definitely be making it again, especially once the beetroot in my veg patch is ready for eating. For years I thought I hated beetroot. There aren't many foods I won't eat and most I keep trying with again every now and then to see if my taste buds have changed, sometimes that works as in the case of beetroot (the supposed pleasures of celery still elude me to this day though).

Well to be honest, I guess it wasn't a case of my taste buds changing, more the fact that after having only ever eaten pickled beets, I went to Finland and was served a vegetable stew that had the most amazing tasting beetroot in it. I was converted. Now I have it often, still never pickled though!

Roasted Beet and Rocket Salad (serves 6)

5 medium beetroot, peeled and cut into 2cm wedges
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tbsp brown sugar
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 handfuls of rocket
1 handful of baby beet leaves (optional)
1 lemon, juice of
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
135g roasted almonds
120g feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas5. Place the beetroot wedges in a large roasting tin lined with baking paper and mix with the first measure of oil, the sugar, vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roast for 45 minutes, until tender. Allow to cool in the roasting dish.

Toss the salad leaves with the sec ond measure of oil and lemon juice and place on a large serving platter or other shallow dish. Top with roasted beets and scatter the almonds and crumbled feta on top.

Enjoy!

Broad Bean Puree with Mint and Parmesan

2011-06-12T12:37:00.004+01:00

So, here's the next recipe from last week's dinner party as promised. Broad Bean Puree with Mint and Parmesan. Well, what can I say, it looks great and was delicious, but I'm not so sure I will be rushing to make it again soon.

The recipe calls for 1kg of frozen broad beans to be de-podded. Whilst I was busy removing the tough skins on every single one of them, Lucy called to see if I needed help and to ask how I was feeling. My answer: 'Like Cinde-fucking-rella!'. Saying that though, once you have overcome this tedious task, the recipe is superquick to finish off. I'll probably try it again using peas instead of beans.

You can serve it warm as a side or at room temperature as a topping for bruscetta. The recipe book also suggest serving it as a pasta sauce after thinning it with some of the pasta cooking water.

Broad Bean Puree with Mint and Parmesan (serves 4-6 as a side)

1kg frozen broad beans
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
2 lemons, grated zest of
24 mint leaves, finely chopped
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
50gr freshly grated parmesan
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-2tbsp water

Put your broad beans in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

De-pod the beans, by gently squeezing them out of their greyish outer skin from the grooved end. Discard the skins.

Place the beans and all other ingredients, except the water in a food processor (or you can use a stick blender like me) until you have a very thick puree. The mixture can be prepared ahead of time until this point and will keep in the fridge for up to four days.

When you are ready to eat, heat the beans in a pot, adding the water and stir until heated through.

Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Caramelised Onion and Feta Cheese Tart

2011-06-07T16:56:00.005+01:00

I'm finally back with some cooking.

Coming home the other week to find a missed delivery card from the postman had me a little confused as I was sure I had not been spending money, buying things I now couldn't even remember. So I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the collection office and found that I had been sent The Free Range Cook by Annabel Langbein to review. Nice. Not having a television, I have to admit to not hading heard of this chef, but opening the book quickly got me interested.

Also what better excuse to invite some friends round for dinner and try some of the recipes. Last night seven of us got together, I cooked, they brought drinks, we ate, drank and were merry. I made Caramelised Onion and Feta Cheese Tart, Roasted Beet and Rocket Salad and Broad Bean Mash with Mint and Parmesan from the book, as well as my own Tomato Salad, Roast Potatoes and Lucy kindly provided Fruity Tiramisu for pudding. Dinner parties on Monday nights might be the new thing. I chose some food for which I could do quite a lot of prep the day before and then just finish it all off after work.

There are some really nice recipes in the book. It seems to me that it's all about using good ingredients and keeping flavours fresh and clean. Nothing too fancy or heavy. I (and I think everyone else) really enjoyed the food. I kept the menu vegetarian so everyone could tuck in without me having to make extra options, but that's not to say that there aren't some really good looking meat and fish recipes in the book also. The only thing I'd say is that the timings are a little enthusiastic, or both me (I'll tell you about shelling the broad beans another time) and my oven are slow. It's also worth keeping in mind that some of the things listed as ingredients in the recipe (such as the caramelised onions) actually are a separate recipe and will also take time to make.

I'll be posting the other recipes soon.

Thanks to Gibbo, Hilary, Lucy, Dylan, Graham and Yuri for being guinea pigs!

Caramelised Onion and Feta Tart (serves 8)

PASTRY:
250g strong white flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
220g frozen butter, grated
4tbsp cold water

FILLING:
Caramelised Onions (see recipe below)
150g feta cheese, crumbled
2tsp fresh thyme

To make the pastry, mix the flour and baking powder in a large bowl.

Add the grated butter and work into the flower with your fingers until you have a mixture resembling rough crumbs.

Add the cold water and mix with your hands until you have a soft dough. Don't overwork the pastry, it'll make it tough.

Place a large sheet of baking paper on your work surface and tip the dough onto it. Place another sheet of baking paper over the top and roll the pastry out with a rolling pin into a circle of about 35cm.

Leave between the layers of baking paper and transfer to a baking tray. Chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes or until ready to assemble.

Preheat your oven to 200C/Gas 6.

Take the pastry from the fridge and remove the top layer of baking paper.

Spread the onions over the top leaving an approx. 4cm border all around.

Crumple the feta over the top and sprinkle with thyme.

Fold the pastry edges toward the centre to partially enclose the filling, then pleat in little folds to make a pastry border.

Bake for 15 minutes the reduce heat to 180C/Gas 5 and bake for another 35-40 minutes until golden and crisp.

N.B. My tart took longer to bake, closer to 15 minutes + 50 minutes. I also covered the filling with aluminium foil after a while to stop the feta from burning, which is easy enough, or you could just add the feta half way through the baking.

Caramelised Onions

6 red onions, peeled and cut into thin wedges
375ml water
75g brown sugar
75ml balsamic vinegar
2tbsp oil
1tsp salt (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place all the ingredients into a large pot and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring now and then, for about 40-45 minutes until the liquid has all but evaporated and the onions are very soft. (I cooked mine slowly for over an hour and they was still quite a bit of moisture.)

During the final steps of cooking take care that the onions don’t catch and burn, so stirr a little more frequently.

Remove from the heat and cool before storing in the fridge in a covered container.

Onions will keep, covered, in the fridge for a week.

You could also use these as a base to make onion soup or onion gravy.

I'm excited

2011-04-10T08:24:00.005+01:00

Don't worry this is not going to turn into a gardening blog, but I just had to share my excitement. Last Monday I found myself in a garden centre. It was not a plannned trip, just one of those things that happened. My friend Lucy had to take Dolores to a welder to see about fixing a leak in the roof. When you are trying to turn a van into a living space and mobile artist's book library it is not such a great thing to be able to see the sky through the roof. Especially if you find yourself in Manchester where it rains often.

Anyways, I digress, back to the rainy afternoon in the garden centre. Well, we were a little early so it seemed the perfect place to stop. I have always liked garden centres, I can't tell you exactly why, but it feels good to be there and I have been meaning to turn some of our communal garden into a vegetable patch ever since I moved here four summers ago, but then usually lost my can-do-attitude. Well, not this time! The garden centre had its usual effect on me and got me all excited about getting my fingers dirty and growing my own food. So, I got a large trolley and filled it with soil and compost, but much more importantly peas, pumpkins, courgettes, seed potatoes, beetroot, lettuces and an assortment of herbs.

Luckily I have some fabulous friends who are not shy to lend a helping hand, who have their own can-do-attitudes and who came round yesterday to help me build some beds and plant my veg, in exchange for the promise of dinner, pancake breakfast and a van valet. There is still some work to do as I ran out of top soil and will need to make another trip to the shops for it (not so easy when you only have a bicycle), but the beds are built and half planted.

So this summer, there will hopefully be plenty of fresh stuff, straight from the veg patch to the kitchen, worthy blogging about. We finished the day with a well deserved late lunch of Creamy Tomato Soup. I changed the recipe a bit, as I had run out of tomato puree, so used 2 1/2tbsp of red pesto instead and I think it was still better. The reason it seemed to taste extra good could simply be that we'd been working hard and were really hungry though.

A huge thanks to H, G and B for your elbow grease, to J for trusting me with your tools and to J for dropping by with encouragement and flapjacks!

Banana Bread

2011-03-27T15:05:00.011+01:00

When I'm not blogging, which is most of the time these days, I'm an artist (and lecturer, for my sins) and one of the things I do is make artist's books. So, to refresh and improve some of my skills and knowledge and just to carve out some time to think about new ideas and talk to other people I signed up to an evening class, run by Lucy May Schofield at Hot Bed Press.

Unfortunately the course has come to an end and I now have to think of something else to do with my Wednesday nights again, but to celebrate the fun we had and work everyone made I took along a Banana Bread to the last class, which was shared nicely between books, bodkins and bone folders.

Banana Bread

250g plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
115g butter, softened
115g dark brown soft sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 large over-ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup of your favourite nuts, optional

		Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 23x13cm loaf tin.

		In a large bowl, combine flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

		In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour mixture into prepared loaf tin.

		Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a knife inserted into centre of the loaf comes out clean. Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Enjoy! (I once again forgot to take my camera, so the phone had to do. This seems to become a common theme!)

A whole lotta pancake love

2011-02-21T15:02:00.007Z

Every few months there seems to be a request from friends for a big pancake breakfast at mine. It has turned into one of my favourite ways to spend a Sunday morning or in yesterday's case lunchtime.

Ingredients:
good friends
a whole lotta love
stacks of pancakes
golden syrup
pancake syrup
real maple syrup
blueberries
raspeberries
strawberries
bananas
crushed nuts
butter
Greek yoghurt
black coffee
pots of tea
fresh orange juice
sunday papers
and good music

You can find the pancake recipe here.

Lemon Meringue Pie

2011-01-30T15:36:00.003Z

It's the last weekend in January, which means tax returns for many of my self-employed friends. I tried to do something to cheer L and H up a little and make sorting through mountains of receipts a little more bearable. I went round to their house and baked my first ever Lemon Meringue Pie. I also wanted it to be a little thank you, as they have been feeding me far too many nights in the last few weeks without me contributing much to any of it. So, girls, thank you! I hope you enjoyed the pie!

I got the recipe from the BBC Good Food website, but have copied it below for ease.

Lemon Meringue Pie

For the pastry:
175g plain flour
100g cold butter , cut in small pieces
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 egg yolk

For the filling:
2 level tbsp cornflour
100g golden caster sugar
finely grated zest 2 large lemon
125ml fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
juice of 1 small orange
85g butter , cut into pieces
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg

For the meringue:
4 egg whites , room temperature
200g golden caster sugar
2 level tsp cornflour

For the pastry:

Put the flour, butter, icing sugar, egg yolk (save the white for the meringue) and 1 tbsp cold water into a food processor. Using the pulse button so the mix is not overworked, process until the mix starts to bind.

Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, gather together until smooth, then roll out and line a 23 x 2.5cm loose-bottom fluted flan tin. Trim and neaten the edges. Press pastry into flutes. The pastry is quite rich, so don't worry if it cracks, just press it back together. Prick the base with a fork, line with foil, shiny side down, and chill for 1⁄2-1 hour (or overnight).

Put a baking sheet in the oven and heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.

Bake the pastry case 'blind' (filled with dry beans) for 15 mins, then remove the foil and bake a further 5-8 mins until the pastry is pale golden and cooked. Set aside. (Can be done a day ahead if you want to get ahead.)

Lower the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.

While the pastry bakes, prepare the filling:

Mix the cornflour, sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Strain and stir in the lemon juice gradually. Make orange juice up to 200ml/7fl oz with water and strain into the pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth.

Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted. Beat the egg yolks (save white for meringue) and whole egg together, stir into the pan and return to a medium heat. Keep stirring vigorously for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens and plops from the spoon.

Take off the heat and set aside while you make the meringue:

Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk to soft peaks, then add half the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition without overbeating. Whisk in the cornflour, then add the rest of the sugar as before until smooth and thick.

Quickly reheat the filling and pour it into the pastry case.

Immediately put spoonfuls of meringue around the edge of the filling, then spread so it just touches the pastry (this will anchor it and help stop it sliding). Pile the rest into the centre, spreading so it touches the surface of the hot filling, then give it all a swirl with a fork so you have nice peaks.

Return to the oven for 18-20 mins until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured. Let the pie sit in the tin for 30 mins, then remove and leave for at least another 1⁄2-1 hr before slicing. I like to chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

Enjoy.

Nigella's Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake

2011-01-25T22:03:00.004Z

Well, it's Burns Night, but if you've come looking for haggis I have to disappoint you. I volunteered to bring the pudding to my friend H's Burns Night dinner and I know this isn't even Scottish, but nobody seemed to mind that it wasn't quite in keeping. There was not much left by the end, even though we had all had plenty of haggis, neeps and tatties.

I didn't have any unwaxed oranges, so left out the orange zest called for in the recipe, but I'm sure it is even better with it in, if that is possible. The cake is really moist and not too heavy. It will sink in the middle after coming out of the oven, but even Nigella's cake in the cookbook looks like that, and if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me.

Now the only thing I can't wait for is longer days, so that I can take decent pictures in daylight again.

Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake

150gr soft unsalted butter, plus some extra for greasing the pan
2 tbsp golden syrup
175gr dark muscovado sugar
150gr plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
25gr best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
2 eggs
zest of 2 oranges and juice of 1 orange

Preheat your oven to 170C/Gas 3 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl beat the soft butter with the sugar and golden syrup until you have a smooth mixture.

Sift together the flour, bicarb of soda and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.

Beat one tablespoon of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter.

Add one egg and continue to beat before adding another couple of tablespoons of the dry ingredients and the other egg.

Continue to add the dry ingredients, before finally beating in the orange zest and lastly the orange juice. It says in the book that at that stage the batter might look as if it could be curdling a little but not to worry. That didn't happen with mine though, but as I said I left out the zest and that could have something to do with it.

Spoon the batter into your prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. If you test the cake with a wooden skewer for doneness it will not come out completely clean as there should still be some moisture at the very centre, hence the sinking of the middle.

Leave to cool for a short while in its tine, before carefully turning it out and allowing it to cool completely on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Roast Haunch of Venison

2011-01-17T19:30:00.004Z

If I want to not default on my New Year's resolutions straight away, I better get posting.

This year I decided not to do the quintessential turkey for our Christmas Dinner and after some deliberating on what to do instead, it was the butcher that decided for me, by having venison haunches on offer. Perfect!

I apologise for the bad photo, but Christmas Dinner in our house is all about the sitting down together and having a good chat and a laugh, so there was no time for faffing about with my camera and I just got a quick shot of my brother carving in the kitchen. It really doesn't do it justice, but I guess you all know what a roast joint looks like anyways.

I chose a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe, as when it comes to meat (or most other foods) the man knows what he's doing. I did marinate the venison in buttermilk for 24 hours before preparing it. That removes some of the gamyness and also helps to keep it moist and tender.

Roast Haunch of Venison (serves 8-10)

1 haunch of venison, tunnel-boned
Salt and black pepper
6 fresh bay leaves
3 large sprigs thyme or rosemary (I used rosemary)
10-12 rashers streaky bacon

For the gravy

½ glass red wine
250ml game stock
Redcurrant jelly

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7.

Season the haunch, and lay the bay leaves and thyme or rosemary over the meat. Place bacon over the herbs, covering the meat, and secure the package with butcher's string - you might find it helpful to use skewers to hold the fat in place while you work.

Weigh the joint. Place the joint in a large roasting tray and, if it's under 2kg, roast for 20 minutes, or 30 minutes if it's over 2kg. This 'sizzle' browns the joint beautifully. Turn down the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3 and roast for a further 12 minutes per 500g of meat. This should give you medium-rare meat: just pink in the middle.

While the meat is resting, make the gravy.

Skim off any fat from the juices in the roasting tin, then put the tin over a low heat, add the wine to deglaze, stirring well and scraping up all the bits of caramelised meat stuck to the bottom of the tin.

Add the stock and boil to reduce and concentrate the sauce. When the gravy has reached your required level of intensity, season and stir in a little redcurrant jelly. That hint of sweetness and sharpness is a perfect foil to the richness of the venison.

Carve the rested meat and serve with the strained gravy.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T14:19:00.008Z

Last year I began the year with a look back at my favourite recipes from the year passed, but I'm ashamed to say that there is not much point in doing that on this first day of 2011, as I was a terribly lazy blogger over the last twelve months and there is not much to choose from.

So, as I am sat here in a studio overlooking the hills in the Scottish Borders, thinking about and making resolutions and plans for this brand new year, one of the things that comes to mind straight away is to get this show on the road properly again. Well, now I've said it. You can all tell me off if I won't stick to it!

All the best for 2011 to you all. May some of your dreams come true, may you stay healthy and happy cooking!

Sylvie x

Leon Book 2

2010-12-02T17:38:00.004Z

I received a copy of Leon Book 2 to review in the post the other week and am only just getting round to sharing it now. Shame on me, because it definitely something to shout about.

If you have ever been to one of the Leon restaurants in London you will know that their slogan is 'naturally fast food' and you will also know that their food is pretty good. Well, with their second cookbook published there is no excuse not to try some of it at home should you not find yourself anywhere near London.

I love the look of the book. It's full of not only great recipes, but also handy tips, great quirky images and graphics and some lovely anecdotes. In short, it's my kind of cookbook.

The first half of the book is full of 'fast food', with recipes that take no more then 20 minutes to make. The second half is all about 'slow fast food' with recipes that can be made ahead and finished quickly when you need them. And even though it's all about 'fast' food, at the same time it's about quality, freshness, sustainability and seasonal produce.

I have earmarked plenty of recipes to try and can't wait to get cooking! So look out for some of those to follow shortly.

The book is published by Octopus Publishing and is £20 RRP.

One just for Alice....

2010-11-01T10:02:00.002Z

Well, I wasn't inspired by the contents of Lucy's 'Ready, Steady, Cook' bag. Even I couldn't really come up with a satisfactory meal made from sweet potatoes, tinned tomatoes and vanilla yoghurt. So, I gave in an ordered pizza. It was so bad, but so good.

(Alice, no need to out me, I'm doing it myself! Oh and just to shock you a little more, about once a year I also get a craving for a Big Mac, but I've never had three bowls of Rice Krispies!)

Kedgeree

2010-10-25T12:30:00.003+01:00

This has been waiting to be shared for a couple of months now and I promised I'd post something soon, so here it is...

The first time I had Kedgeree was when my friend H made it for me. It's one of H's favourite meals and it quickly became mine. It's easy and for me definitely falls within the category of comfort food. It's traditionally served for breakfast, but to me it's a perfect dinner and I always make sure that there is enough to take to work for lunch the next day.

So when H, Lucy and I went on holiday together it was no surprise that we had kedgeree one night. Here is H's version, sorry there are no measurements, it kind of just works everytime, even if slightly different:

Kedgeree

smoked fish (undyed haddock is my favourite)
2-3 eggs
peas
basmati rice
fresh parsley
curry powder
lemon juice
butter
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Poach your fish in some milk or water until it flakes easily.

Use the poaching liquid to cook the rice until done, whilst keeping the fish warm.

Whilst the rice is cooking, hard boil the eggs, peel and roughly chop.

Cook the peas.

In a large frying pan, melt the butter, add the rice, flaked fish, peas and season with curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with bread and butter.

Enjoy!

Still alive

2010-10-20T12:13:00.002+01:00

I am still alive and seem to be too busy enjoying life and this glorious autumn weather to blog.

Thanks to all of you who have asked me what's up and told me to get blogging again. I will. Shortly. Promised.

Moonblush Tomatoes

2010-08-20T13:52:00.005+01:00

What to do if you have another washed out summer? Well, apart from packing your things and heading for the hills, or even better the beaches you could make moonblush tomatoes.

I got the recipe from Nigella's Feast. I think these are much better than sundried tomatoes, much juicier, really flavourful and delicious. They are perfect for salads, picnics or a buffet table. They do take all night to make (that's of course where the moonblush comes from), but they are absolutely minimum effort and maximum outcome.

Moonblush Tomatoes

500g (about 24) on-the-vine cherry or other baby tomatoes
2 teaspoons Maldon salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 x 15ml tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 220C / gas mark 7.

Cut the tomatoes in half and sit them cut side up in an ovenproof dish.

Sprinkle with the salt, sugar, thyme and olive oil.

Put them in the oven, and immediately turn it off.

Leave the tomatoes in the oven overnight or for a day without opening the door.

Double Chocolate Muffins

2010-08-07T10:55:00.007+01:00

My friend V and I were born in the same hospital on the same day, we grew up in the same village and we went to the same school and even when I moved, first to Norway and then to England, we always kept in close contact. In March this year V had a beautiful baby boy and it just so happens that I'm in Germany this week and am able to attend his christening today.

Being fully aware of my love of cooking and baking, V asked if I could bake some chocolate muffins to bring for the celebrations. That's the least I could do of course, so I've been busy this morning.

Double Chocolate Muffins (makes 12)

200gr plain flour
100gr caster sugar
50gr cocoa powder
1tsp cinnamon
1tbsp baking powder
125gr dark chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
100ml vegetable oil
250ml milk

Preheat oven to 200C.

In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder and dark chocolate.

In a separte bowl whisk the eggs.

Add the oil and stir well until combined.

Add the milk and mix in again.

Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry with a fork or wooden spoon until just combined. You don't want to overwork it.

Divide the dough between a 12 hole muffin tray, lined with paper muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Elderflower Champagne

2010-08-02T10:18:00.000+01:00

I should have probably posted this earlier, as the season for elderflower is now over, but I guess you can bookmark it for next year or be adventurous and find a recipe for elderberry wine, as elderberries will be everywhere very shortly.

I made the elderflower champagne with my friend J and we actually nearly left it too late ourselves. A few Sundays ago we got on our bikes and scoured the hedgrows, but many of the elderflowers had already gone and had started becoming elderberries. We did manage to find just enough to make one batch of elderflower champagne, even if we nearly killed ourselves in the process. I should point out that that was in the picking stage, not the actual making stage, which was pretty easy. What wasn't easy was to avoid the chest-high stinging nettles, brambles and other scratchy and prickly nasties along the River Mersey.

Well anyways, I can only advise you to try it, it's delicious, nearly free and there is nothing as good as making something from things you have picked yourself in the hedgerows. We're still amazed that we made it and that it actually pops and sparkles! The recipe I have copied below is by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall, himself a great advocate of forraging and preparing seasonal food.

Bottoms up!

Elderflower Champagne (makes about 6 litres)

4 litres hot water
700g sugar
Juice and zest of four lemons
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
about 15 elderflower heads, in full bloom
pinch of dried yeast (you may not need this)

Put the hot water and sugar into a large container (a spotlessly clean bucket is good) and stir until the sugar dissolves, then top up with cold water so you have 6 litres of liquid in total.

Add the lemon juice and zest, the vinegar and the flower heads and stir gently.

Cover with clean muslin and leave to ferment in a cool, airy place for a couple of days. Take a look at the brew at this point, and if it’s not becoming a little foamy and obviously beginning to ferment, add a pinch of yeast.

Leave the mixture to ferment, again covered with muslin, for a further four days. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin and decant into sterilised strong glass bottles with champagne stoppers (available from home-brewing suppliers) or Grolsch-style stoppers, or sterilized screw-top plastic bottles (a good deal of pressure can build up inside as the fermenting brew produces carbon dioxide, so strong bottles and seals are essential).

Seal and leave to ferment in the bottles for at least a week before serving, chilled. The champagne should keep in the bottles for several months. Store in a cool, dry place. During the first two week of fermenting in the bottle we released the pressure every other day, by popping them briefly.

Summer Fruit Trifle and a very berry tea cosy

2010-07-29T21:38:00.003+01:00

It's about time that I wrote something I guess, before all my readers disappear. So, it was perfect timing that I hosted the Second Annual Cherry Berry Festival yesterday.

The Cherry Berry Fest was an idea my friend's daughter V came up with last year. After seeing a programme about Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall's strawberry fest, she thought we should have our own version and celebrate the abundance of berries at this time of year. It was such good fun that we decided there and then to turn it into an annual event. This time round it was at my house.

Everyone invited brings along a dish containing cherries or any other berry and since that gets a little sweet, there are also some savoury dishes, but I'll tell you about some of them another time.

If your wondering where the fantastic strawberry tea cosy comes from, it was sent to me by All Tea Towels. It's a great website if you want to treat yourself or are looking for a great gift for a friend who likes kitchen things (like me). As well as my tea cosy, I really like the vintage tea towel range, expecially the ones with the the silver cutlery and tea pots.

Well, getting back to Cherry Berry, my dish this year was a summer fruit trifle. It's really easy to make (You can make it more complicated and involved if you make custard from scratch and bake your own sponge base, but why would you?) and always goes down a treat. So without much more rambling on, here's the recipe or maybe instructions is a better word....

Summer Berry Trifle (serves 6-8)

madeira cake or sponge cake, enough to line the base of your trifle bowl
1 pint custard
1/2 pint whipping cream or double cream, whipped
700gr summer fruit, washed
50 ml contreau, amaretto or sherry if you want a more traditional trifle

Pour the contrau into the base of a glass bowl.

Slice the madeira cake or sponge cake into 1 inch slices and line the bottom of the bowl with them. Pressing down so it soaks up the alcohol.

Place half of your fruit in a separate bowl and mash them with the back of a fork. I used 1 punnet of strawberries and 2 punnets of raspberries.

Spoon the fruit over the sponge and top with about half of the remaining fruit (you want to keep enough back to decorate the top of the trifle).

In another bowl stir half of your whipped cream into the custard before adding it as the next layer to your glass bowl to top the fruit.

Top the custard layer with the remaining cream. You can either just spoon it on and spread it across with a palette knife or pipe it on.

Top with the remaining fruit and chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Olive and Sundried Tomato Swirls

2010-07-07T13:37:00.005+01:00

The dog days are here and I hope they'll stay. It's been hot and sunny for a few weeks now and I don't yet quite believe our luck. Should we really be having a lovely summer this year? I hope I'm not cursing it by talking about it. As I type there is a fine rain falling outside my window, but it feels fresh and soothing. Ready for more sunshine to follow.

When it's really warm, I never feel like much cooking. Why would I want to turn the hob or oven on in my tiny kitchen and make it even warmer, but I still have this recipe waiting that I have been meaning to share since I had a party at the end of May.

Olive and Sundried Tomato Swirls

1 block of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 package cream cheese
1 package cream cheese with herbs
1/2 jar sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
a handful of olives, pitted and sliced
150gr gouda, grated
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 200C/Gas 6.

In a bowl mix all ingredients, except the puff pastry and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the block of puff pastry into a large rectangle. To make it a little easier, I divide the block into two and roll out two rectangles.

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the pastry.

Starting from the long side, carefully roll up the pastry.

With a sharp knife cut the roll into 1/2 inch thick slices and place them cut side down onto a non-stick baking tray.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Allow to cool on a wire rack, before serving.

These can be made a day ahead.

Enjoy!

Fruity Tiramisu

2010-06-03T19:56:00.004+01:00

Okay, I hold my hands up, I didn't make this one. Lucy did. But, as it was made in my kitchen and eaten in my flat, from my bowls and with my spoons, I feel like I can share it here.

Every couple of months or so I meet with four friends and fellow artists to talk about the projects we're working on. It's all about mutual support and constructive criticism. All of us really enjoy those get togethers and, as well as the talk about our practice, of course we also involve food, drink and chat about life in general.

For our session a couple of weeks ago Lucy, who doesn't like coffee, made Fruity Tiramisu and we all couldn't stop ourselves from having a second helping. There was only a tiny little bit left at the end, which J's partner was lucky enough to get in a doggy bag. It's a good job that none of us is pregnant. It doesn't have alcohol in it like a regular tiramisu, but it does contain raw eggs, so make sure they are really fresh.

Oh, and I nearly forgot to take a picture, so all you get is a photo of the table with the half eaten tiramisu.

Fruity Tiramisu (serves 6)

4 really fresh eggs, seperated
150g caster sugar
30-40 sponge fingers
300ml orange juice
250g mascarpone cheese
2tsp vanilla essence
mixed fruit of your choice, such as starwberries, kiwi fruit, banana, blueberries etc.
a pinch of cinnamon

Place a heat proof bowl over a pan of boiling water and with an electric whisk beat the egg yolks and sugar in it, until pale, doubled in volume and creamy.

remove from heat and allow to cool, stirring from time to time.

Dip half the sponge fingers quickly in the orange juice, don't let them soak it up and use them to line the bottom of a square flat dish.

Once your egg mixture is cooled, gardually fold the mascarpone cheese into the mixture, using a wooden spoon.

Then carefully add the vanilla essence and fold in.

In a clean bowl and using a clean electric whisk, beat the egg whites until stiff.

Carefully fold them into the mascarpone and egg yolk mix.

Slice/chop your fruit, keeping a little aside for garnishing and carefully stir it into the mix.

Pour half of it over the sponge fingers.

Dip the rest of the sponge fingers into the orange juice and arrange in another layer on top of the mascarpone/egg mix.

Cover with the rest of the mascarpone/egg mix.

Cover with cling film and refridgerate for a minimum of 2 hours or over night.

Top with some more sliced fruit for garnish and dust with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Rockamole

2010-06-01T23:16:00.005+01:00

Another month has passed without me doing much blogging. It looks like I'm having too much of a good time enjoying myself and no time left for much experimenting in the kitchen. My flat seems to be a transitional place at the moment, where I come to change, dump my stuff and sleep.

Last Friday part of the having a good time was inviting some friends round for a little food, drink and a bit of a boogie though, so I seized the oppertunity to try a couple of new recipes. One of those I found in Nigella's Express cook book. A really simple and of course 'express' recipe for a guacomole with a twist. The blue cheese goes brilliantly with the avocado. I went down a treat and I think the name makes it even more perfect for a party! I didn't have jalapenos in, so here is my version using dried chili flakes.

Rockamole

125gr Roquefort or St. Augur cheese
60ml sour cream
2 ripe avocados, peeled and stone removed
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
2 spring onions, finely sliced
a pinch of sweet parika

Crumble the cheese into a bowl and mix it with the sourcream.

Add the avocado and chili flakes and mash, using a fork until you reach the desired consistency and everything is combined.

Stir in the spring onions.

Sprinkle with a little paprika and serve straight away.

As with any guacomole, the avocado means that the dip will turn brown after a couple of hours, so it's best to make it at the last minute, but a minute is all it takes.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

2010-05-17T13:38:00.004+01:00

It's been unusually cold here in Manchester. It looks like mid May outside, beautiful and green and fresh, but temperature-wise it feels more like March. Therefore soup is definitely still featuring on the menu regularly.

I was making books in Lucy's studio, while she was engaged in skill sharing excercises with M and as a thank you for letting me use her space and time I brought along Carrot and Ginger Soup for lunch. We all needed it as it was decidely brass monkeys in the studio and it helped to warm our bellies and the cockles of our hearts.

Carrot and Ginger Soup (serves 4)

2 onions, peeled and chopped
a large knob of butter
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
6 carrots, cleaned and chopped
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped very finely
1 litre vegetable stock
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
a pinch of cayenne pepper, optional

Melt the butter in a large stock pot and sweat the onions over low heat until softend, but not browned for about 15 minutes.

Add the potatoes, carrots, ginger and stock and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Blitz in a food processor or with a stick blender until you have a smooth, creamy consistency.

Add this point I like to add a pinch of cayenne for a little extra heat, but that's entirely optional.

Serve hot with crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

2010-05-02T15:26:00.003+01:00

On Friday night, L and H came round for pre-cinema dinner, before going to watch Io sono l'amore. (One of the best films I have seen in a long time by the way, so if you haven't seen it yet, do!)

I felt like all I'd been feeding them the last few times they'd been round was roast vegetables with couscous, so I wanted to do something different. My problem was that I'd left my purse in the bookbindery and only had a few coppers in the penny jar, so I had to make something that didn't involve much shopping. I checked my cupboards and found that they contained most of the ingredients needed to make a chili. All I had to go and buy was a courgette and a red pepper and there was enough change for those. Perfect.

Vegetarian Chili (serves 3-4)

olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 onions, diced
3 cm ginger, grated
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 red peppers, diced
1 courgette, diced
1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
1/2 can canned chopped tomatoes (with jalapenos)
1 can kidney beans, 400g
1 small can sweet corn
pinch salt and black pepper

In the oil in a large frying pan and add the onions. Sweat for a few minutes until they begin to soften.

Add the garlic and the grated ginger, together with the cumin and the paprika.

Fry for another couple of minutes, before adding the tomato puree. Stir well and fry a little longer (the tomato puree should turn dark reddish brown), before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Serve with rice, as a topping for a jacket potato, or just in a bowl with some torillas or nachos.

Enjoy!

Observer Food Monthly Awards

2010-04-21T17:16:00.005+01:00

....just mentioning it ....

Torta di spinaci (Spinach Tart)

2010-04-19T23:14:00.005+01:00

Okay, it's about time I got this show back on the road. Sorry for the prolonged absence. I'm not sure what happened. Usually when things are a little crazy and don't go according to plan I seek refuge in the kitchen. So far this year that has not seemed to happen, despite there being quite a few stones cast that caused ripples of varying magnitude.

But enough of the prose, back to cooking. I've been invited to H's surprise birthday meal tonight and was asked to bring some food along, so what better opportunity to try and get my cooking mojo back. I got some of my cookbooks out for inspiration and decided to make Torta di spinaci from Angela Hartnett's Cucina. Well, I don't want to comment on the book just yet, as it has great reviews and as this the first recipe I tried from it, but it needed a bit of adaptation to make it work. The ingredients are fine, but if I didn't already have a clue what I was doing in the kitchen (well, at least most of the time), I think it would have left me very frustrated. The recipe calls for 1kg of roughly chopped fresh spinach to be mixed with some other ingredients and then placed into a 20cm shallow flan dish. There is no way that would ever fit without wilting the spinach first, so I cooked my spinach and also reduced the amount to 750g and it just about fit.

I also didn't have any '00' flour, so used normal flour, but of course that made the pastry more bread dough like and maybe wasn't the greatest idea I ever had. So next time I'll get on my bike to get the right flour. See, I don't always know what I'm doing in the kitchen, or to put it correctly, I'm aware that I'm doing not quite the right thing and carry on despite my better knowledge. I seem to do that a lot in life. It was good anyways though.

Anyways here's the recipe with my own cooking instructions and adapted measurements, but with the correct flour:

Torta di spinaci (serves 8-10)

400g '00' flour
1/2 tsp salt
4tbsp olive oil
100ml ice-cold water

for the filling:
750g spinach, washed, stems removed, roughly chopped
4tbsp olive oil
200 fresh parmegiano reggiano, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large bowl ix the flour with the salt and add the olive oil and water.

Mix lightly until it comes together to form a smooth ball.

Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least one hour.

In the meantime you can make the filling.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the spinach, stir until wilted quite a bit.

Remove from the pan and set aside to cool, pour off excess liquid.

Add the grated parmesan, the eggs and nutmeg and mix well.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 200C/Gas 6.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out quite thin on a lightly floured surface. It needs to become big enough to line a 20cm shallow pie dish and fold back over the top of the filling.

Once it's rolled out, carefully line your pie dish, letting the dough hang over the edges.

Spoon the filling into the dish, it should fill it all the way to the top.

Then fold the dough over the top to cover the filling and bake in your preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until golden.

This can be served hot or cold.

Glazed Carrots with Thyme and Garlic

2010-03-22T21:29:00.006Z

Okay, this is me trying to get my mojo back. I've still not really been cooking much new stuff, but here is one I made earlier (and it didn't involve fairy liquid bottles, scissors or glue). Oh, and before I forget, thanks for hanging in there with me.

The recipe comes from Gordon Ramsey's Sunday Lunch cookbook. I know many people don't like him because of the language he uses, but that doesn't bother me and I've never yet tried on of his recipe to be left disappointed.

Glazed Carrots with Thyme and Garlic (serves 4)

600g small carrots, peeled (I used Chanteney, so no need for peeling)
1-1.5 litres vegetable stock
1 sprig of thyme
1/2 bulb of garlic, cut horizontally
1 bay leaf
olive oil
salt
black pepper, freshly ground
a few knobs of butter
1-2tsp caster sugar

Place the carrots in a large pan and cover with vegetable stock.

Add the thyme, garlic, bay leaf and simmer for 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow the carrots to cool in the stock, before draining well.

Use some kitchen towel to pat them dry.

Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the carrots. Sautee for a few minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add the butter and sugar and baste the carrots.

Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until the carrots are glazed well and tender.

Serve as a perfect side with roast lamb or beef.

I've lost my cooking mojo...

2010-02-24T14:07:00.006Z

..., but I'm hoping to rediscover it soon. Thanks for being patient!

Unearthed goodies

2010-02-10T20:18:00.003Z

I was sent some continental deli goodies from Unearthed a couple of weeks ago and am only just getting around to blogging about it. Where does the time go?

The people at Unearthed source quality food from all over Europe and were kind enough to send me some Barrel Aged Greek Feta, some Hot Chili Olives and some Spanish Chorizo to try. What can I say? It was great food, full of flavour and perfect to have with a glass of wine and friends. The olives were really hot, but went perfect with the soft, salty feta and the chorizo tasted just like chorizo should. I'll definitely be looking out for their foods next time I'm in Waitrose.

The pictures I took really don't do the food justice, as I couldn't wait for daylight, but devoured everything on the night it arrived, so I've borrowed a picture from their website.

Sunday Roast

2010-02-02T22:10:00.003Z

A couple of weeks ago a parcel from the wonderful people at Tiny Farmer arrived on my doorstep. I opened it and found some great hand-reared, welfare friendly beef, a huge rump steak, some shin of beef, some minced beef and a lovely silverside to be precise.

So what was a girl to do? Invite Lucy, Jean-Marc and E for a roast dinner of course!
I think it's safe to say that everyone enjoyed it greatly, even though the roast was a little less pink than I wanted it to be. I forgot to set my timer.

Roast Beef

olive oil
1 silverside of beef
2 carrots
1 onion, halved
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

for the gravy (serves 4):
4 cloves of garlic
4 plum tomatoes, halved
1 glass of red wine
600ml beef stock

Preheat your oven to 200C/Gas 6.

Heat the oil a heavy based roasting pan on top of your stove.

Season your beef and brown for about 3-4 minutes on all sides.

When browned briefly remove the roast from the pan and put 2 carrots and the onion halves in the pan and than place the beef on top.

Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes per 450g for rare or 20 minutes per 450g for medium.

When the roast is done, put it on a warmed plate, loosely wrap it in tin foil and set aside to rest while you make the gravy.

Place the roasting pan on the hob. Remove any excess fat and add the garlic and tomatoes. Cook for 4-5 minutes before adding the wine and the beef stock.

Bring to a simmer and bubble for about 10 minutes. The liquid should reduce by about half.

Pass the gravy through a fine sieve. Make sure you really press all the juices out of the vegetables to get all the flavour.

Return the gravy to the pan and bring back to a boil until you reach gravy consistency. If you like you can thicken it with a little cornflour.

Enjoy!

Briouats filled with Goat's Cheese

2010-01-10T12:07:00.003Z

I went through my photo archive today and came across pictures I had taken of Briouats filled with Goat's Cheese that I made some time last year and for some reason forgot to blog about. Briouats are fried Moroccan pastries and can be either savoury or sweet. They are good, both hot or cold and you could serve them on a bed of mixed salad as a starter or as part of a finger food buffet. So, with a little bit of a delay, here's the photo and the recipe:

Briouats filed with Goat's Cheese (makes about 40)

400g goat's cheese
2tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1tsp parika
a pinch of cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
400g filo pastry sheets
75g melted butter
2 egg yolks, beaten
vegetable oil for frying

In a large bowl mash the goat's cheese with a fork and add the parsley, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste.

Keep the pile of filo pastry sheets covered with a damp tea towel and work with one at a time, making sure the rest stay covered with the towel.

Place one sheet in front of you and cut into 4x10 inch strips.

Brush them with the melted butter using a pastry brush.

Place 1tsp of the goat's cheese mix at one end of each strip, about 2inches in.

Fold over the shorter end of the pastry strip to cover the filling.

Turn in 1/2inch of both long edges and then continue to fold over the short edge until you are left with a square.

Seal the edges with the egg yolk.

Fry in hot oil until golden. Alternatively, do as I did and bake them in the oven at 180C for about 30-40 minutes.

Leek and Potato Soup

2010-01-09T10:34:00.004Z

Are you bored of soup yet? Well, I'm not and I doubt I ever will be, especially while it is this cold.

I know some people are moaning about the cold and all the snow, but I'm loving it. I really am. This is what winter is supposed to be like in my opinion and I know it's a pain to drive in this weather, but I don't have a car anyways, so that doesn't bother me. I feel a slight pinch of sadness every time I walk past my bicycle that's not been taken out for a ride for over a week now, but I smile every time I pull the laces on my hiking boots tight, put on another layer of crazy knitwear and venture out into the white in the knowledge that there is a pot of soup or at least a cup of cocoa waiting for me on my return.

Leek and Potato Soup (serves 4)

2tbsp butter
1lb leeks, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
1lb potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite sized chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
225ml milk
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
single cream (optional)

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan.

Add the chopped leeks, potatoes and onion and sautee for 10 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently.

Add the stock and the milk and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through.

Depending on your preference you can serve the chunky soup as it is, or whiz it with a stick blender until it is smooth.

If you like you can pour a little single cream into each bowl before serving, swirl it around gently with a fork for a pretty pattern.

Enjoy!

Top Five from 2009

2010-01-06T16:51:00.004Z

Maybe it's a good idea to look back as well as forward at the beginning of a new year. So without much ado, here are my top five recipes from 2009 (in no particular order):

Labneh with Olives and Pistachios

Onion and Goats' Cheese Flan

Spicy Roast Aubergine with Jeweled Couscous

Muttar Paneer

Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream and Berries

Simple Creamy Tomato Soup

2010-01-05T21:02:00.006Z

Building snow women all afternoon meant that I wanted something warming again for dinner that didn't require loads of time spent in the kitchen. So what better than another bowl of hot soup?

I didn't really want to put my hiking boots, scarf, hat and mittens back on for another trip to the shop either, so it had to be something I could make with what I always have in my cupboards. That decided it for me, Creamy Tomato Soup it was to be.

Creamy Tomato Soup (serves 2-3)

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1tbsp, tomato puree (paste)
2 tins (400g each) of chopped tomatoes
1tbsp fresh thyme, chopped or a handful of chopped basil
1 1/2tsp vegetable stock powder
a pinch of baking soda
350ml milk (or half milk/half vegetable stock)
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion and garlic for about four minutes until beginning to soften.

Stir in the tomato puree and continue to cook for another couple of minutes whilst stirring.

Add the chopped tomatoes, herbs and vegetable stock powder and simmer for about 15 minutes.

In a small bowl mix the baking soda with about 1tbsp of the milk.

Stir into the tomatoes, it'll froth but don't worry it'll stop.

Add the rest of the milk and simmer for another five minutes.

Serve with your favourite crunchy bread.

Note: You won't taste the baking soda at all, it just stops the milk from curdling or splitting.

Enjoy!

Sloe Gin

2010-01-05T09:58:00.002Z

I just pulled up my blinds and couldn't believe my eyes. I know it had snowed already last night and was still at it when I went to bed at midnight, but it must have continued for most of the night. I haven't seen snow like this in years. Probably not since I lived in Oslo.

It's a day for building snowmen and making snow angels and as there's no soup left to warm me up when I get back in, I might just have to have a glass of my homemade sloe gin, or two!

Sloe Gin

450gr sloe berries
1 litre gin
225gr light brown sugar

If there's been no frost by the time you pick your slow berries, pop them in the freezer for a week or so before making the gin. They need to have frozen once at least to release some of the sugar in them.

Place the sugar into a large sterilized jar.

Prick each berry with a clean needle and add them to the jar.

Pour in the gin, seal tightly and give everything a really good shake.

Store in a cool dark place and shake every other day for about a week, then once a week for two months.

After that you can pour the gin through a clean sieve into sterilized bottles and start drinking it!

Enjoy!

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

2010-01-04T17:20:00.003Z

It feels like Manchester is frozen over. I just took a stroll to the local shops with E and JM and it must have taken us twice as long to get there as we were slipping and sliding all over the place. I'm beginning to understand why penguins walk the way they do.

Before we ventured out we had some hot soup to warm us up from the inside. Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup to be precise, or January Soup as E christened it, as it comes from the January page of the 2010 Good Food calendar. As I often do I made some slight alteration to the original recipe, so here is my version.

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup (serves 3-4)

2tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of dried chilli flakes
600gr carrots, washed and coarsely grated
140gr split yellow lentils (you can use red of course as in the original recipe)
1 1/4 litre hot vegetable stock
125ml milk
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1/2-3/4 tsp hot chilli powder
natural yoghurt

Dry fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for about one minute in a large saucepan. When they begin to release their aroma, remove half from the pan and set aside.

Add the carrots, lentils, vegetable stock and milk and simmer until the lentils are done. If you're using yellow split lentils this will take about 30minutes if using red it'll be a little quicker.

Using a stick blender, whizz the soup until completely smooth.

Return to a simmer and season to taste with salt, pepper and chilli powder.

Ladle into bowls and add about a tablespoon of natural yoghurt to each bowl, before sprinkling with some of the reserved cumin seeds and chilli flakes.

Enjoy!

Traditional Scones

2010-01-02T16:49:00.002Z

What do you do when you wake up early on New Year's Day, the sun is shining and you're looking forward to spending the day with some wonderful people? Well, you get up and bake some scones of course!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Traditional Scones (makes 12-18)

450gr self-raising flour
a pinch of baking powder
a generous pinch of salt
50gr caster sugar
110gr unsalted butter, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
50ml double cream
200ml milk (you might need a little more)
1 egg, beaten with a little milk

Preheat your oven to 180C/ Gas 4.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the baking powder, salt and sugar.

Add the diced butter and rub it into the flour with your finger tips until you have a mixture a little like dried breadcrumbs.

Add the beaten egg, double cream and enough milk to moisten.

Mix well until you have a soft and doughy mixture that is not too moist. Don't overwork the dough.

Roll into a ball and roll it out lightly on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1inch thick.

Cut out with a round cutter and place the rounds onto a non-stick baking tray.

Gather the off-cuts and carefully roll out again (you really want to make sure that you don't overwork the dough), cut and repeat until you have used up all the dough.

Brush the tops with the egg and milk glaze and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops are golden.

Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Port

2009-12-22T09:37:00.005Z

One of my favourite things about Christmas dinner is the cranberry sauce. I know that might sound a little strange when there are also loads of other treats on the table and don't get me wrong I do also get excited about a good turkey, perfect roast potatoes and the best ever brussles sprouts.

However, not only is the cranberry sauce one of the prettiest dishes on the table it also adds the extra special Christmas factor in my opinion and it just goes so well with everything. Even once the meal is over I enjoy it for days to come (if there is enough of it) with cheese, pate, pork or game pie. My mouth is watering just thinking about it and even better since I know that there is a bowl of it my fridge right now.

Merry Christmas everyone! Frohe Weihnachten, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad and God Jul!

Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Port

250gr fresh cranberries
1 orange, juice and zest of
100gr sugar
100ml ruby port

Bring the orange juice, zest and cranberries to a boil in a saucepan.

Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the cranberries become soft.

Add the sugar and ruby port and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens a bit and the berries begin to become pulpy.

Remove from heat and allow to cool a little before pouring into a bowl.

Cover and refridgerate.

Thanks to the sugar and alcohol it'll keep for weeks in the fridge, if you can make it last that long.

Enjoy!

Baked Apples

2009-12-20T18:23:00.002Z

I can't believe we're only a week away from Christmas and this is my first December blog post!

This year the usual baking, pickling and cooking that usually comes with the month of December in my kitchen has not happenend. That might be partly due to having been away in New York for a week at the beginning of the month and also the fact that I am already back home at my mum and dad's house in Germany for my annual Christmas break.

It's been freezing cold here the last couple of days. We've seen temperatures of -13C and plenty of snow, which has really helped to get me in a more christmassy mood, which up until now I've been lacking. I've also been out to buy the turkey and all the trimmings for a proper Christmas dinner next week. Yes, I'm spending Christmas in Germany, but there'll be a proper English Christmas dinner at this house nevertheless, and I'm sure there'll be a few recipes to share over the next few weeks because of it.

For now I'll leave you with a recipe of Baked Apples, which my mum and I tried today, after she spotted it in a amagazine last night. It was the perfect treat to have whilst watching the snow being blown about outside!

Baked Apples with Marzipan serves 4

4 medium sized red apples
60gr marzipan paste, chopped up finely
4tbsp cashew nuts, chopped roughly (we used chopped almonds)
2tbsp raisins
rum, calvados or cointreau

Soak your raisins in some rum, calvados or cointreau.

Preheat your oven to 180C.

Wash and decore your apples.

Cut a slice of the top of the apple and carefully remove most of the flesh, until you are left with a shell that's roughly half an inch thick (1.5cm).

Finely chop the flesh you have removed and place in a small bowl, together with the marzipan, nuts and raisins.

Mix well and then divide and stuff the apples with the mix.

Place the stuffed apples on a baking tray and bake in the oven for half an hour, until soft.

Serve with custard or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy.

World's Best Cheesecake

2009-11-25T11:52:00.004Z

I'm off to New York for a week, so I've been thinking of diner breakfasts, bagels, smoky pretzels and of course cheesecake. You just can't beat a slice of really good cheesecake, can you? I'm gonna make sure I have some at Dean and Deluca, but even theirs can't be much better than this one.

It was my dad's 70th birthday at the end of last month and my mum asked me to bake a cheesecake for his party. All my aunties were baking cakes as well and I knew that there'd be a lot of cake competition, but I had made this cheesecake before and knew it was good.

I blame the cracked top on my mum's oven being different to mine (I like excuses), but it didn't really matter because the cake was just as rich and creamy as I wanted it to be and everyone that ate some seemed to enjoy it.

World's Best Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups digestive biscuit crumbs (fine)
1/3 cup butter, melted
2tbsp sugar
500 gr cream cheese
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
3tbsp cornflour
500 ml whipping cream
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 180C.

Mix the digestive biscuit crumbs (make them by placing digestives in a food bag and bashing them with a rolling pin) with the melted butter and sugar.

Spread over the bottom of a lined 10inch springform pan, making sure it comes up a little around the edges.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a bowl cream the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract.

Add eggs, one at a time and mix well.

Add the cornflour, whipping cream and a pinch of salt.

Continue to beat or about 3 minutes at high speed.

Finally add the lemon juice before pouring into a prepared crust in your springform pan.

Bake for 75minutes, until the mix has set completely and the top is golden in a 180C oven.

Allow to cool in oven with door ajar for about one hour.

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a cooling rack until it has reached room temperature.

Place in the fridge for twelve hours before removing the cake from pan.

Venison Stew

2009-11-17T11:09:00.002Z

The time of year where I crave comfort food, such as stews, soups, mashed potatoes and winter vegetables has definitely arrived. The days seem to be getting seriously short (which doesn't help the feeling that I am constantly trying to play catch up on things), most of the trees are bare and my selection of hats, scarves, gloves and mittens has been excavated from the depth of my wardrobe.

Last week the wonderful people from Abel&Cole sent me some diced venison to try, because as well as the season for woolly jumpers it is of course also the season for game. I was really excited as it had been absolutely ages since I last ate venison. Some of my friends were a little disturbed by the thought of me eating Bambi, but JM and E were as excited as I was, so we had a wonderful Venison Stew on Sunday night. I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans and it was the perfect meal for a cold and dark Sunday night. If you, like some of my friends, don't like the thought of venison you can of course use beef instead. I forgot to buy bacon, so left it out and the original recipe called for roast chestnuts, but I'm not so keen so used chestnut mushrooms instead.

Venison Stew (serves 4)

800gr diced venison
100gr streaky bacon, cubed
125ml red wine
3 red onions, sliced thinly
1 celery stick, sliced
12 baby carrots, peeled
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 fresh bay leaf
250g chestnut mushrooms
(cornflour paste to thicken if desired)

Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas

Heat some oil in a heavy-based pan and fry the bacon until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside, but make sure you keep the fat in the pan.

Brown the venison in the same pan. Fry it in batches to avoid the meat boiling in its liquid, rather than frying.

Remove the meat and transfer to a casserole or pot with a tight-fitting lid, along with the bacon and any scrapings from the pan.

Add the wine, garlic, onions, carrots and celery and increase the heat until the wine bubbles fiercely.

Add the tomato purée, herbs and enough water to just cover the meat.

Cover, bring to a simmer and cook for 2 hours in the oven.

Check from time to time – if it’s dry, add more water and reduce the heat.

After 1 1/2 hours (1 hour if using chestnuts), add the chestnut mushrooms and cook until the meat is very tender.

If you want a thicker sauce, remove the pan from the oven, add some cornflour mixed with water. Place on the hob and bring back to a simmer stirring continuously until your desired thickness has been achieved.

If necessary, season with salt and pepper before serving.

Aubergine Salad

2009-11-04T21:05:00.003Z

I don't know where the days are disappearing to at the moment. I seem to be playing catch up constantly, at work, at home and with my blogging. I hope you won't give up on me completely!

The weather has really turned now. It definitely feels like November, grey and very wet. Most of the leafs have come down now and I have to wear gloves and a scarf when I get on my bike to cycle to work in the mornings now, if I don't want to arrive with chaffed red hands when I get there.

I'm in the mood for soup, stews and comfort food, but for now I've got another recipe from the dinner party a couple of weekends ago, a recipe for a Moroccan Aubergine Salad. I use quite a lot of aubergines in cooking and think they are a highly underrated vegetable. They are so versatile and taste great prepared in many different ways. This salad takes a bit of effort, but it is well worth it.

Aubergine Salad (serves 4)

1lb aubergines (eggplant)
oil for frying
2tsp paprika
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp ground cumin
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
6tbsp olive oil
3tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt, to taste
freshly gound black pepper, to taste
1tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Cut the aubergines into 1/2inch round slices. Rub each one with salt and place them in a colander for about half an hour, then wash off the salt and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.

Heat some oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the slices (a few at a time) until golden brown on both sides.

Remove them from the pan and rest them on some kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil. Leave to cool.
Clean the frying pan, discarding all the oil.

Chop the cooled slices coarsely and mix them well with the spices and garlic.

Return them to the pan without adding any oil and cook them over medium heat. Stir frequently and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Place in a serving dish. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Place in the fridge to chill.

Remove from fridge just before serving. Stir well once more and top with the chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Labneh with Olives and Pistachios

2009-10-25T18:00:00.004Z

I never thought I'd be making cheese at home, but when I saw Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe for labneh in the Guardian Weekend a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to try it.

Actually, I guess calling labneh cheese is stretching the term a little. Labneh is made by straining yogurt until most of the whey has been removed and you're left with a spread that is similar in texture to soft cream cheese and lovely and fresh.

It was just the right thing for the mezze dinner we had at my flat last night. Seven people, great food, plenty of wine and loads of laughter. The perfect Saturday night.

The original recipe calls for oregano. I replaced it with coriander (cilantro) as I couldn't find any fresh oregano at my local grocers. It also uses lemon zest from two lemons, but mine were waxed, so I just squeezed the juice of half a lemon and added that instead.

Labneh with Olives and Pistachios (serves 4)

450gr natural yogurt
450gr goat's yogurt
coarse sea salt
20 black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 1/2tbsp of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
1tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
half a lemon, juice of
1 clove of garlic, crushed
50ml olive oil
20gr pistachios, lightly toasted
20gr pine kernels, lightly toasted
1/2 tsp chili flakes
3 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, sliced thinnly

Stir both yogurts together with about half a teaspoon of salt.

Pour into a deep bowl lined with cheese cloth or muslin. Carefully bring together the corners of the cloth and tie tightly with some string.

Hang the bundle over the bowl, so that it is suspended and the whey can drain from the cloth. I tied mine to a wooden spoon which I then balanced on the rim of the bowl.

Place in the fridge for 24-36 hours.

Remove from fridge and spread the into a serving dish with the back of a spoon.

In another bowl mix the olives, coriander, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and chili flakes.

Put your toasted pine kernels and pistachios in a pestle and mortar and crush them roughly.

Add to the olives and combine.

Spoon the mix over the labneh.

On a separate plate mix the tomato wedges and onion and drizzle with some olive oil.

Simply serve the labneh and the tomatoes with some fresh bread.

Proper Onion Gravy

2009-10-19T14:40:00.004+01:00

When I saw the first brussel sprouts at the grocer on Saturday I couldn't help myself, I had to have some. Some people really hate them, but they are amongst my top ten vegetables. The decision was made, brussel sprouts with bangers, mash and onion gravy were quickly added to this week's menu!

I guiltily admit to sometimes reaching for the packet of Bisto to make onion gravy to have with bangers and mash or chops. Especially if it is a midweek dinner and I want something quick, because making proper onion gravy takes time, but nothing comes close to real onion gravy.

It's all about slow cooking the onions, letting them brown over low heat for an hour and watching them slowly soften and then caramelise. I know some people say you can speed it the process up by adding some sugar for the onions to colour faster, but there is no need as they are full of natural sugar and all you need is a little time and patience. The reward is amazing and turns something that is a simple meal into a comforting, delicious feast.

Onion Gravy (serves 4)

large knob of butter
3-4 large onions, thinly sliced (I mix standard and red onions)
400ml beef stock
100ml red wine or bitter (optional)
2tsp wholegrain or French mustard
1tsp Worcestershire Sauce
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy based frying pan.

Add the sliced onions and fry for about 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently until soft.

Turn the heat down low and continue to fry the onions. Don't cover them with a lid.
Continue to cook for about another hour, stirring occasionally until the onions are well browned.

Add the liquids and seasoning and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring regularly until the gravy has reduced a little. Check the seasoning.

Enjoy with bangers and mash or over pork chops.

Flapjack

2009-10-12T21:26:00.002+01:00

Surely flapjack is something everyone likes, isn't it?! I don't mean American flapjacks (even though I guess most people like them too), but the chewy, crunchy, oaty English kind.

I'm trying not to reach for a chocolate time every time I have a little slump and have other snacks instead. I know flapjacks are still laden with calories, probably more so than some chocolate bars, but being packed full of oats, and as in this case fruit and seeds at least the energy will sustain me for a while. Plus of course I knows everything that goes into them and they are sugary enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. In fact this recipe was a little on the sweet side and I'd probably reduce the amount of syrup or sugar next time I'll make them. Whether you make them with just oats or you play around with various additions is up to you. I like varying between different combinations of dried apricots, cranberries, nuts and seeds.

English Flapjacks

8oz (jumbo) porridge oats
4oz butter, unsalted
4oz golden syrup (you can use corn syrup or maple syrup if you can't find corn syrup in the US)
4oz brown sugar

optional ingredients

2oz craisins or raisins
2oz chopped dried fruit
2oz nuts or seeds
2oz chocolate chips

(I used a combination of craisins and vanilla flavoured sunflower and pumpkin seeds.)

Preheat your oven to 180C.

In a sauce pan melt the butter, together with the syrup and sugar over low heat, stirring to combine.

Remove from heat and add the oats and any of the optional ingredients you are using.

Spoon into a square, paper lined cake pan or oven dish. Spread out and smooth with the back of a spoon.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

Leave to cool for about half an hour, cut into squares or slices and leave in the pan until cooled completely.

The flapjacks will keep for about a week or a little longer if stored in an air tight container, but they won't last that long!

Enjoy!

I've got flu

2009-10-08T12:30:00.002+01:00

I've been in bed with flu all week and am only just starting to come around today. So it's been another week without any cooking. Big, big thanks to my wonderful friends E, JM and J who've been delivering an amazing meals-on-wheels service to my front door. Another big thank you to A, B, H, L and J who've all been asking what I need and offering to get me anything from aspirin to zwieback.

All of you, you are amazing and I feel very blessed and humbled by your care!

Before I go, here's something I signed up to quite a while ago now, but maybe you could do so today, if you haven't already done so!

Getting stuck in again

2009-10-05T10:05:00.004+01:00

I know I have been an extremely lazy blogger for the last eight or so weeks. I'm trying to get stuck in again. Autumn is definitely here now. I'm feeling like soups, stews and other comfort foods, so I'll be trying new recipes and sharing all the old favourites.

No recipe yet for today, but I'll leave you with a few photographs from my weekend in Paris. L and I only had a hotel for one night and spent the second night walking the city for La Nuit Blanche with E, J and JM until 4.30am before catching the first flight back to Manchester. It was fabulous and I want to do it all over again.

An Old Favourite and an Artist Book Fair

2009-09-22T22:28:00.004+01:00

Some dishes are just too good to only have them once. Spicy Roast Aubergine with Chickpea Stew and Jewelled Couscous is definitely one of them for me. It is one of my favourite vegetarian meals, but when I made it last Friday I felt like experimenting a little and added some lamb.

I did everything as in the original recipe, but when making the chickpea stew, I first fried some chopped up lamb shoulder until sealed, before adding the onions and all the other ingredients. Of course it meant that the stew had to cook for a lot longer than in the vegetarian version. I simmered it on low for about two hours, stirring from time to time. Everything else stayed exactly the same and the result was just wonderful.

I still think that the original is great just as it is and doesn't really need the meat to be a perfect meal, but for those who need a little meat in their dinner to be happy or just to make a change, the lamb is a great addition.

And now for something completely different, the London Art Book Fair...

This coming weekend the annual Art Book Fair returns to London at a new venue. Previously it was held at the ICA. This year it will be at the Whitechapel Gallery for the first time, but with hopefully just as many exciting stalls and exhibitors. So, if you are around and are looking for some wonderful handmade and limited edition art books, gifts made from paper, cards and much more why not pop in. I'll be on the Righton Press Stall for most of the weekend and as well as selling I am really looking forward to having a good browse, chat with other artists, read and to buying some special Christmas presents myself.

And the winner is.....

2009-09-16T13:48:00.003+01:00

Katiecakes! Congratulations! I have e-mailed you.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Sorry you couldn't all win. You can blame it on my colleague G if you didn't win, as he was responsible for picking the name from the hat.

A Giveaway

2009-09-08T20:10:00.003+01:00

Maybe you are like me and are planning to go and see Julie & Julia at the cinema. I know it looks a bit cheesy and chick flicky, but I can't always just watch serious intellectually stimulating foreign films. Occasionally, I need a bit of Hollywood escapism. Therefore, a film that has Meryl Streep in it and is about food seems like a good choice.

Well, this is where the giveaway comes in. The lovely people at Duckworth Overlook sent me two copies of the book the film is based on, Julia Child's (with Alex Prud'homme) My Life in France. One copy is for me to read and the other copy is for one of you.

All you need to do, to be in with a chance of winning the book, is to leave a comment on this post before the 15th September 2009. I will be drawing one of the names at random and send the book to the lucky winner. Unfortunately, this giveaway is only open to UK residents, due to issues to do with publishing rights.

Chorizo, Vegetable & Pasta Bake

2009-09-07T16:53:00.006+01:00

I know. It has been a long time. I needed a break and I took it, traveling out to the Western Isles and Germany and also just enjoying time with friends at home. If you want to see some of the places I went and some of the things that I saw have a look at Photobooth. I'll let the pictures do the talking this time.

I finally got back on Saturday and yesterday E and JM came up for a simple dinner of Chorizo and Vegetable Pasta Bake. I got the recipe from a card I picked up at Waitrose in Edinburgh. It appealed to me instantly with it's few simple ingredients.
I adjusted it slightly as it needed garlic and more cheese in my opinion, but the main ingredients didn't change. At one point the original recipe just states to season the sauce, but not how, so below is my take on seasoning as well.

Chorizo, Vegetable & Pasta Bake (serves 4)

olive oil
a handful fresh basil leaves, shredded
1 clove of garlic, minced
400gr tinned chopped tomatoes
2tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp powdered vegetable stock
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
1 aubergine (eggplant), cut in half lengthways
350gr dried Penne Pasta
125gr mozzarella, torn into chunks
1/2 cup grated cheese
250gr chorizo, cut into bite-sized chunks

Preheat your oven to 200C.

Heat some oil in a frying pan, add the basil and garlic and fry for 30 seconds before adding the chopped tomatoes.

Simmer for 5 minutes and season with the vegetable stock powder, sugar and salt and pepper to taste.

While the sauce is simmering, brush the peppers and aubergine halves with some oil and fry in a griddle or frying pan for 10 minutes, turning once. (I found it easier to half the peppers again into quarters, to cook them more evenly.)

While the vegetables are frying cook the pasta in plenty of salt water until al dente, drain and mix with the tomato sauce.

Transfer into a large baking dish.

Cut the cooked vegetables into strips and carefully stir into the pasta.

Tuck the chorizo into the top of the pasta and top with the grated cheese and fresh mozzarella.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Sign of Life

2009-08-25T23:18:00.002+01:00

I'm still here. Just taking a little break. Not much longer. Thanks for waiting.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

2009-07-25T18:39:00.005+01:00

J and her daughter V decided to host the first Annual Whalley Range Cherry Berry Festival at their house yesterday. As the name says, it was all about celebrating cherries and berries and the abundance of great fruit that's around at the moment. Everyone invited was asked to bring along a treat and the table nearly collapsed under the weight of all the fabulous food.

Unfortunately, the sun didn't really put in much of an appearance so it ended up being an indoors picnic instead of a garden party, but that really didn't put a damper on things and everyone ended up being high on sugar and/or berry cocktails!

One of the fun things was to look for recipes that would be suitable, which took up quite a bit of my time over the last week. Whenever I was supposed to do something that I didn't really want to do, I just started searching the net and going through books and magazines looking for recipes. In the end I chose a Raspberry Buttermilk Cake that I found on another blog. You can see the original on Cookworm.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4oz unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
6oz fresh raspberries (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 200C. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment. (I used a 26cm springform pan, so it was a little bigger than suggested.)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

With a standing or hand mixer, beat the butter with the 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the vanilla extract and the egg, beating thoroughly.

Turn speed to low and alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, mixing until just combined.

Spread batter into your prepared pan, smoothing the top. Scatter the raspberries evenly over the top and sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Mine took about 35 minutes, despite being thinner due to the bigger cake pan.)

Cool in pan 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup with Chorizo

2009-07-21T13:24:00.005+01:00

Last Friday the weather was really bad and I got absolutely soaked cycling back home from town, so I needed something warm and comforting. I don't usually make soup often during the summer months, but it didn't feel like summer at all and I had a butternut squash that had been hanging around my kitchen for at least six weeks. Soup seemed like the perfect solution.

Also my friend JM had been to Brindisa at Bourough Market and brought back some fresh chorizo. Since he and E left for their holiday before they could finish all of it, I was the lucky recipient of the 'leftovers' that they hadn't got round to eating. In addition to that I found a sweet potato in my pantry and threw that in the mix as well.

B was also in need of some comfort on Friday so she came round to help me eat the resulting soup. A perfect quiet Friday night in with food, loads of pots of tea and good talk.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup with Chorizo (serves 4)

1 butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and thickly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1-2 tsp of paprika
1 1/4 litre vegetable stock
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

4 fresh chorizo sausages, casings removed and sliced

Place the squash and sweet potato on a large baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place in an oven at 200C/Gas 5 for about 45 minutes, until the flesh is soft.

In the meantime heat a little oil in a large, heavy-based pan and sweat the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the ginger, chili and half of the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Once the butternut squash and potato is done, chop them up roughly and add to the pan. If you prefer you can just use the flesh of the buttenut squash by scooping it out with a spoon, but I just use it as it is including the skin. Puree, using a stick blender until smooth and add the rest of the stock until you get your desired thickness.

Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer for a further 5-10 minutes.

While your soup is simmering fry the sliced chorizo in a pan. You don't need to add any oil as their is enough fat in the sausages. Once cooked place on some kitchen towel to soak up some of the excess fat and divide between four bowls.

Spoon over the hot soup and serve with some crusty bread.

Lemon Drizzle Cake with Lemon Cream and Berries

2009-07-19T09:59:00.007+01:00

I know it's been a while since I've last posted, but for some reason I've not really been in the mood for much writing. I've also been off sick for a bit, which meant I spent quite a lot of time sleeping and just generally not having much energy for anything. I'm better now though and just thought that I'd better get back to it, especially as I'll be off again on my summer holiday soon, which will mean another dry period.

Last weekend I was invited to T's first birthday party. I promised to bring a cake for the buffet. It didn't have to be a birthday cake, as they already had a fabulous one., so I decided to make a lemon cake. I knew that JM was bringing a chocolate one and I like the freshness of lemon cake on a sunny day.

Wanting it to be a little more special for the ocassion I decided to top it with lemon cream and fresh strawberries, which made it that bit more decadent and also looked great.

There isn't really a new recipe, but this is what I did:

Lemon Drizzle Cake with Lemon Cream and Berries

Use the recipe for Easy Peasy Lemon Drizzle Cake, but bake it in a 26cm springform pan, rather than the usual loaf tin to give you the base for the cake. Baking it in a larger tin means of course that it bakes quicker, so it should be done after about 30 minutes. Test with a wooden skewer.

Allow to fully cool before assembling the cake.

Whip 200ml of double cream (or you can use whipping cream) with 1tbsp of icing sugar.

Once stiff, stir in 2 generous tablespoons of lemon curd.

Evenly spread the cream over the base with a palate knife.

Top with loads of your favourite summer berries. I used just strawberries, which I cut into different sizes, but you could use rasperries, blackberries or blueberries, or a mixture of all.

Taleggio

2009-07-04T15:55:00.005+01:00

Do you ever find that you've never heard of something and then once you have it crops up everywhere?!

Well that happens to me quite often. The last occasion was when Abel & Cole sent me some Taleggio cheese to try. I had never heard of it before or seen it anywhere as far as I was aware, but since I got some a couple of weeks ago I've seen it at the cheese monger, which might be because now I am aware of it and looked out for it, but I even found it on the breakfast buffet at the hotel I stayed at in Brighton this week.

Taleggio is an Italian soft cheese with a washed orange rind, named after a Val Taleggio near Bergamo in Lomabardy. It definitely has quite a pong to it, especially after a couple of days in the fridge, but it is generally mild with a fresh and fruity taste. The rind has a somewhat stronger flavour, but if you don't like it you can cut it off. I do like the stronger flavour though and just like with brie or camenbert I eat it just as it is, rind and all.

It was gone too quickly for me to try using it in cooking, but I have since found out that it is great for melting over vegetables and polenta or used in risottos.

Ramsay's Roasted Rhubarb Crumble

2009-06-29T09:26:00.004+01:00

This rhubarb crumble recipe has been waiting around a bit to be blogged about and there is no reason for it other than that I have been busy. I made it for the dinner party a few weeks ago.

When I was going through my cookbooks to see what kind of roast chicken to do, I came across the recipe (well, the picture first) and knew that I just had to give it a go. It's from Gordon Ramsey's Sunday Lunch cookbook, and whether you like the man or not, he can cook. I liked the sound of the ginger and nuts in this crumble, so the chicken was forgotten, at least for a little while, while I started jotting down the rhubarb crumble ingredients on my shopping list.

I changed the recipe a little bit as even after my shopping trip I didn't have any stem ginger or vanilla sugar, so here is my version with the original in brackets.

Roasted Rhubarb Crumble (6-8 servings)

800gr rhubarb (forced rhubarb if in season), cut into 4-5cm long chunks
150 gr caster sugar (vanilla sugar)
a few knobs of butter
2tbsp ginger syrup (20gr Japanese pickled ginger, chopped finely)
1tsp vanilla essence (unless you are using vanilla sugar)

150 gr toasted, skinless hazelnuts
100gr plain flour
75gr unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
50gr demerara sugar
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
40 gr porridge oats

finely grated zest of a lemon
200gr mascarpone
1tbsp ginger syrup

Preheat your oven to 190C/Gas 5.

Toss the rhubarb in the sugar and place in a large pan over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of water and the vanilla essence and cook for bout 8 minutes stirring once or twice carefully. You don't want it to go to soft, the pieces should feel just tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.

Add the ginger syrup, carefully stir and pour into a 1.5-2. litre baking dish and set aside to cool.

While it's cooling you can start making the crumble.

In a large bowl slightly crush the hazelnuts with a rolling pin, alternatively place them in a freezer bag and bash them a little with a pan or a rolling pin.

In another bowl rub the flour and the butter together with your finger tips until they form a crumb-like mix.

Add the demerara sugar, nutmeg, oats and nuts and mix well.

Evenly spread the crumble over the cooled rhubarb and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

While it's cooling, mix the mascarpone with the lemon zest and ginger syrup to serve with your crumble. Of course it also goes well with ice cream or custard.

Black Cherry and Cointreau Jam

2009-06-25T11:20:00.008+01:00

On Sunday my friend J told me that one of the small local green grocers had boxes of cherries on offer for just £2.99 and that she'd been making cherry and blueberry jam just that afternoon. Hearing this I just couldn't resist to get on my bike on Monday and nip down to bag a bargain for myself. Cycling home with a wooden box containing 4 lbs of black cherries strapped to my pannier rack, my mind started to race through various possibilities of using them even before I got home.

To eat them fresh as they were, make cherry pie, clafouties, pancakes or to make jam, that was the question. Initially the thought of removing the stones of 4lb of cherries all at once to make jam put me off that possibility, but after a little nap I thought 'what the heck' and got to work.

I remembered that I bought a Jam and Preserves cookbook last summer which I had never used and in it I found a recipe for Black Cherry and Brandy Jam. I didn't have any brandy in and having already been on my bike to buy the cherries and then again later to by jam sugar I didn't want to go out again, so I decided to make Black Cherry and Cointreau Jam instead, following the recipe and just switching the types of booze.

My fingers looked like I had murdered somebody (next time I'll remember to put on gloves), my white kitchen wall now sports some blue speckles and I nearly burned my fingers sterilizing the jars, but it was well worth it. Not just because the jam is really good, but also because I've already been able to make some friends happy by passing on a jar of the finished jam.

Black Cherry and Cointreau Jam (makes about 2.25kg)

1.8kg dark cherries, rinsed and stoned
125 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
125gr jam sugar
1tsp butter
4 tbsp Cointreau, brandy or kirsch

Roughly chop the and place them in a large sauce pan or preserving pan.

Add the lemon juice and simmer over a gentle heat for about 20 minutes, until the cherries are quite soft.

Add the jam sugar and stir until disolved.

Increase the heat and boil rapidly for four minutes.

Take off the heat and carefully pour into warm sterilised jars. Heating the jars and placing them on a damp towel will stop them from cracking when you fill them with the hot jam.

Screw on the lids and place upside down until cool.

Store in a cool place.

Summer Range from Abel and Cole

2009-06-24T13:33:00.004+01:00

Before I catch up on some of the recipes I tried over the last couple of weeks I thought I'd write about the parcel I got from Abel & Cole with some samples from their summer range of deli foods.

It contained sliced Milano Salami, Sesame Artisan Grisini and a jar of Chili and Fresh Ginger Salsa, all organic and great quality. So, I went out and got some cheeses, my friends E and JM added some olives, sun-dried tomatoes- stuffed peppers, saucisson and fresh bread and we had a wonderful supper that made us feel like we were on holiday somewhere in Southern Europe, even though we were sat in a Manchester living room.

Out of the samples I was sent my favourite was the Pollen Chili and Fresh Ginger Salsa. I have to say I love pickles and salsas and to me they are a vital addition to any cheese board. The Chili and Fresh Ginger Salsa, was not too hot and not too tangy, a great balance between sweet, spicy and sauvoury. It went especially well with the goats cheese we had I thought.

Muttar Paneer (Vegetarian Curry)

2009-06-21T16:56:00.003+01:00

My friend A has invited me and five other friends (plus kids) for dinner tonight. I offered to help out and make one of the dishes as it is quite a big job to cook for so many and of course because I like to cook anyways. A's menu for tonight is vegetarian, which he's a bit worried about as he really likes his meat and rarely cooks veggie, but not all the other guests do share in his carnivourous preferences. So as to not to have to add any more worry, he decided to make a curry as he's good at it and South Asian is one of his favourite cuisines. He is cooking a cauliflower and potato curry and I thought Muttar Paneer would go quite well alongside it.

If you haven't heard of Paneer or Panir before, it is a South Asian cheese, which doesn't melt when cooked and therefore makes a perfect ingredient for a vegetarian curry. Muttar Paneer originates from the Punjab and is not a particularly spicy curry, instead it has many subtle flavours that compliment each other perfectly and are well balanced. If you prefer a bit of heat though, just add a finely chopped chili.

Muttar Paneer (serves 4-6)

500g paneer cheese, cubed
2 medium onions, chopped finely
2 (400 g) cans chopped tomatoes
1 cup frozen peas
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 inch of fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp ground coriander
3-4 tsp garam masala
2 tsp turmeric
2tsp ground cumin
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
vegetable oil or ghee
fresh coriander, chopped (to garnish)

Heat the oil or ghee in a large heavy bottomed frying pan.

Add the cuben paneer and fry until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

If necessary add a little more oil or ghee and fry the onions, until soft and golden.

Now add the spices and the garlic and fry for another couple of minutes until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and about 250ml (1cup) water and stir. Bring to a a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes.

Add the peas and return the fried cheese to the pan. Cover and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Serve with pilau rice and/or naan bread or chappati.

Another blog

2009-06-17T18:35:00.005+01:00

As some of you might know I am an artist/practitioner/photographer. Which of these, I am never quite sure of. I guess it depends on how you define the terms. I also teach photography, and I find that often I don't seem to make enough time for my own practice, unless I work on a big project.

I decided it was time for some daily discipline.

Have a look: PHOTOBOOTH

The BBC Good Food Show

2009-06-16T21:35:00.008+01:00

No recipe today I'm afraid. I thought I'd tell you about my great day out on Saturday instead. The lovely people from Forever Better invited me to join them for the BBC Summer Good Food Show last week. Of course that was an offer which I just couldn't refuse and so I got up at 6.00am last Saturday to get on a train to the NEC arena in Birmingham.

I arrived in good time to meet up with the Forever Better staff and fellow food bloggers, Anne, Celine, Jan, Jules, Naomi, Nic and Sunita. We began the day with watching Simon Rimmer give a cooking demonstration in the summer theatre, after which we had a drink in the VIP cafe (where some of us took the opportunity to take a few snaps of Simon Rimmer, Gino D'Acampo and the Hairy Bikers as you can see on the other blogs) followed by lunch in one of the NEC cafes.

With our bellies full we then had quite a bit of time to explore the stalls and see what wares the various exhibitors had on offer. There was everything from cheese to bread, deli food, cereals, specialist oils, tea and coffee, sweets, cakes, vegetables, cold meats, wine, whiskey and vodka to cookware, cookbooks and magazines. Of course most of the stalls had free taste samples of which we made the most.

We all met back up as a group for an introduction to a range of fantastic Miele appliances, which left me wanting a new fridge, a new cooker and a steam oven. Shame I live in a rented flat with a landlord-special type kitchen, which has got neither enough room nore the flair to do any of them justice. I'll just have to continue to dream and want for now, I guess.

The main event for us was the Miele Cookery Experience, where we got to participate (think Ready, Steady, Cook or Can't Cook, Won't Cook, even though of course all of us can and will cook) in a cooking demonstration by Sophie Michell. That was a bit nerve wracking I have to admit, as it was in front of an audience which I hadn't really considered. Once we started though it was good fun, especially as Sophie and her helpers took us through cooking Thai inspired Steamed Lemon Sole stuffed with Crab Meat on a bed of Green Mango Salad, accompanied by Steamed Scallops. I'm usually not that great cooking seafood, but was really impressed with the result, which of course we got to eat afterwards. That made me want a Miele Steam Oven even more.

And this is what happens when you eat with food bloggers. Everyone has to take a picture of the finished plate before they dig in.

Peperonata

2009-06-15T18:37:00.003+01:00

This is another of those recipes that is perfect for midweek dinner, or as in my case if you have some peppers that need using.

I had never heard of peperonata until my brother cooked it once a couple of years ago at my mum and dad's house. I've made it quite often since and I just realised that I had never blogged about it. How could that happen? It really is one of those simple ingredients, simple cooking and maximum satisfaction recipes. You can have it warm with pasta as I did tonight, but it is also great cold spread on fresh, crusty bread or as an addition to a tapas table.

Peperonata (serves 4)

good quality olive oil
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into strips
1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
2 red onions, sliced
4 vine ripened tomatoes, skinned and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
a good glug of balsamic vinegar
a handfull of chopped flat leaf parsley (I use basil as I like it better)
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmesan

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottom frying pan.

Add the onion and the pepper and sautee over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. You want everything to soften but not brown.

Add the tomatoes, garlic balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Stir, cover and continue to sautee over a low to medium heat for about 20 minutes or so. Stir occasionally.

Add the parsley or basil, some parmesan and stir to mix.

If you are serving it with pasta, mix in the cooked pasta and top with plenty more parmesan.

Otherwise allow to cool before serving. You can make it a day in advance and keep it in the fridge.

Carrot and Fennel Salad

2009-06-07T16:38:00.004+01:00

When I found the recipe for the Moroccan Chicken the other day, I immediately started wondering what to serve with it, in addition to the obligatory couscous. That's when I came across He Cooks, She Cooks, who had also tried the recipe and served it with a carrot and fennel salad as a side, which I thought sounded like a great idea and solved my quandary perfectly.

It's been a while since I last made carrot and fennel salad, but here's my version.

Carrot And Fennel Salad (serves 4-6 as a side)

1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 orange, juice off
4 largish carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced thinly
2 spring onions, finely sliced
a handful of finely chopped mint
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3-4 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Whisk together honey, vinegar, orange juice, and olive oil.

Add carrots, fennel, green onions and mint and toss to coat.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the toasted sesame seeds.

Leave in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving for the flavours to develop.

Moroccan Roast Chicken

2009-06-07T12:18:00.012+01:00

What do you do when you are sent a beautiful, plump, has-had-a-good-life Organic Free Range Chicken and you live on your own? Well, of course you roast it and invite your friends round to eat it.

The lovely people at Abel & Cole offered for me to try one of their whole chickens. There was no way I was going to keep all that joy to myself. Even if I had wanted to I would have struggled, as it was a nearly 5lb beauty of a beast. As much as I love roast chicken leftovers, I didn't really fancy eating them every day for a week.

This meant that last night E, JM, B and L came round for roast chicken dinner. I woke up in the morning feeling like trying something slightly different and not just going for the usual Lemon Roast Chicken or Rosemary and Garlic Roast Chicken. Looking for recipes I found one for Moroccan Roast Chicken that sounded pretty good and I planned the menu from there. We ended up having the chicken with chickpea couscous and a carrot and fennel salad, followed by a completely un-Moroccan rhubarb crumble.

I'll share the other recipes later, but for now here's the recipe for the chicken with my adaptions and changes. The instructions and ingredients seem quite long, but it is really easy and everyone enjoyed it.

Moroccan Roast Chicken

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
one whole chicken, at room temperature
1 lemon
1 onion, quartered
8 garlic cloves
12 pitted dates, cut in half
12 dried apricots, quartered
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tbsp harissa paste

Preheat your oven to 190C.

Mix the soft butter with the cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper.

Clean your chicken, inside and out under running water and pat it dry with kitchen towel.

Carefully slide your hands between the skin and the meat on the breast side and top of the legs and rub in half of the spice butter. Rub the other half all over the skin.

Cut the lemon in half and place it inside the cavity.

Set the chicken breast-side-up on a rack in a roasting pan, which is also suitable for use on the stove top.

Place the onion, garlic cloves, dates and dried apricots into a roasting pan and add 1/2 cup of water.

Place the chicken breast side up on a rack into the roasting pan and place in the oven. Your chicken will need 20 minutes per lb plus an extra 20 minutes.

After about half an hour turn your chicken over carefully and baste with the juices that are collecting in the pan.

Leave for about another half hour before turning and basting again, at this point you should also add another 1/2 cup of water.

Continue to roast, basting once more, until completely cooked and the juices run clear when you insert a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh.

Remove from oven and drain any juices that might be caught in the cavity into the pan.

Set the chicken aside and leave to rest for about 10-15 minutes, cover with tin foil to keep warm.

Remove the rack from the pan and spoon off the fat or use a gravy separator to make it even easier.

Set the pan over high heat on the stove top, add the stock and harissa and cook, scraping up any browned bits. If you like you can add a little cornflour/water paste to thicken the gravy.

Carve the chicken and serve with the chunky gravy.

Pesto Genovese

2009-06-05T15:44:00.003+01:00

Fresh pasta and pesto is one of those meals that I always default to when I get home late from work or on those days when I don't really feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen. It's quick, simple and good and I usually have all the ingredients around.

Traditionally it would me made with a pestle and mortar, smashing the basil leave little by little, but most time I just use my stick blender. It doesn't make the pesto quite as smooth as doing it by hand, but it's quicker and I actually like a slightly grainier pesto just as much.

What is your quick mid-week dinner of choice?

Pesto Genovese (makes enough for 6-8 people)

1 large basil plant, leaves only
25g pine kernels
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp granular sea salt
50g freshly grated Parmesan
100-200ml extra virgin olive oil

Wash the basil leaves and dry them in a salad spinner.

Toast your pine kernels in a dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes, until golden.

If you're using a mortar, pound the garlic with the salt until you have a smooth paste.

Add the pine nuts and keep pounding.

Then start adding the basil leaves, 2-3 at a time and keep mashing until all is reduced to a silky paste. If you want you can freeze the mixture at this point.

Add the cheese, stir and then add the oil and stir with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, silky pesto. The amount of oil you adds depends on your preference of texture.

Alternatively place all ingredients in a container and blend with your stick blender until you reach the preferred consistency.

Mix into hot pasta and serve straight away.

You can pour any leftover pesto into a clean jar, top with a layer of olive oil, cover tightly and keep it in your fridge for up to a week.

Herb Bread

2009-06-01T12:56:00.010+01:00

My friend Lucy is off on another artist residency. This time it's not the remote Shetland Islands, but an equally remote spot in rural Ireland and it involves bread baking. So she came round yesterday morning for a skill sharing exercise in making bread.

If you've never made your own bread, please give it a go. Yes, it does take a bit of time with all the proofing and rising, but it is so worth it. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to pull a hot, fragrant, golden loaf from the oven. To me it's a little bit like magic every time and from Lucy's enthusiasm I deduced that it was the same for her.

To befit the occasion properly I got out a soup and bread cookbook I bought in Ireland last summer and from it I chose the recipe for Herb Bread to make. So why not bake bread today or as Mrs Doyle would say 'go on, go on, aaahhh go on'.

Herb Bread (1 small loaf)

450g/4 cups plain flour
300ml/1 1/4 cup warm milk and water (mixed)
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp salt
8-10 fresh sage leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
1tsp sugar

Measure the flour into a large bowl.

Mix in the salt, herbs and fennel seeds.

Make a well in the middle and pour in the warm liquid.

Add the yeast and the sugar and stir into the liquid. It's fine that some of the flour gets mixed in as well.

Cover with a clean tea towel and place in a warm place to proof.

Check after about 15 minutes. The yeast should now have frothed up.

Start drawing the dry flour into the yeast and liquid, until it's all combined and you have a dough that is no longer particularly sticky. You might need to add a little more flour.

Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed for about 3-5 minutes, finally form into ball.

Wipe out the bowl and pour a little oil into it, before returning the dough back into it. Turn so it is covered with a light film of oil on all sides.

Cover again with the tea towel and place in a warm place. Leave to rise until double in size. It should take about 1 hour.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface again and knock the air out of the dough by kneeding a little.

Shape into a high round ball and place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Make three shallow incisions across the top and do the same in the opposite direction.

Leave for another 20 minutes or so to recover some volume.

Bake in a preheated oven at 230C/Gas 8 for about 15 minutes then reduce heat to 200C/Gas 6 and bake for another 30 minutes.

The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Sweetheart Cabbage with Lemon and Pinenuts

2009-05-30T11:50:00.007+01:00

My friends E and JM have recently moved into the flat downstairs. It's great to have such lovely neighbours for a change. The complete opposite to the guy next door who goes out of his way not to say hello. They had been send some Jamon from Spain and were kind enough to share the joy of it by bringing it along for dinner 'upstairs'. We had some of it just as it was and wrapped some around some steamed green asparagus. Simple perfection.

If you read my last post you'll also know that I got a sweetheart cabbage in my veg box and wasn't all that sure what to do with it. Thanks for your suggestions. I also started looking on the net for ideas and found a very simple recipe which sounded good to me and which I thought might go well alongside the asparagus and jamon. The basis of the recipe is pretty good and the cabbage and pinenuts work really well but I'd reduce the lemon juice to half a lemon as I found the flavour to be a bit overpowering. Nevertheless, here's the original recipe as found on the Grow Wild website. Try it for yourself and see how much lemon juice you like in there!

Sweetheart Cabbage

1 sweetheart cabbage (shredded)
a handful of pine nuts
Olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon

Steam your cabbage for about 6-8 minutes.

In the meantime toast the pine nuts on a dry pan until light brown. You need to watch them and keep them moving to avoid them burning.

Put about half of the toasted pine nuts in a pestle and mortar and coarsely crush them.

Drain the cabbage, pour over a good swig of olive oil, add the pine nuts (both crushed and whole), the lemon juice and season with black pepper.

There's a first for everything

2009-05-27T18:24:00.007+01:00

For a long time now I have been thinking about ordering an Organic veg box, but for some reason or other I never did. I always thought I'd never get through all the contents before they go off, that I wouldn't like not choosing my own fruit and veg from the shop, some of the stuff might not be all that fresh and that they are too expensive. Well, I was given the opportunity to finally try one and have to say I was so wrong.

Today my first Organic veg box from Abel & Cole arrived on my doorstep and all the reasons that always put me off in the past went straight out of the window. There isn't really any more fruit and veg than I would buy in a normal week anyways, I'm quite excited to find some things that I wouldn't normally buy *, all the produce is wonderfully fresh and you can even smell that it's gonna taste great and it doesn't really cost anymore than buying my veg at the store either.

I was excited to open the box and see what it contained: 5 apples, 6 oranges, 5 bananas, a bag of mushrooms, a punnet of cherry tomatoes, a cucumber, green lettuce, a sweetheart cabbage, a bag of radishes and potatoes. All lovely, fresh, colourful, untreated and sourced from British farms (apart from the Fairtrade bananas which of course didn't grow in Britain).

* Even though I have eaten and enjoyed sweetheart or pointed cabbage in the past, I have never bought and cooked it myself before. Does anybody have a great recipe suggestion for me?

Caramel Crumble Cinnamon Loaf Cake

2009-05-19T16:59:00.005+01:00

Sounds like a good cake, doesn't it? But I should call it Looks Like It's Been Dropped Cake or Caramel Crumble Car Crash Cake. Nevertheless, I thought that I can't always just write about the successes in my kitchen and cover up the near misses, disasters and casualties. And actually there isn't really anything wrong with the flavour of cake, it's just the fact that half of it stuck in the pan and a bit of the caramel crumble top broke off as well.

That all would have also been only half as bad if the cake had been for me. As some of you will know I'm the resident birthday cake baker at work though, and this was the cake I made for A's birthday. As I didn't have enough ingredients, time or patience to start all over again, I just patched it up and stuck a candle in it. After all, it's the thought that counts, isn't it?!

I have to say that all of us did enjoy it despite it's wonky appearance. The flavours are good and it's nice and moist. I'll probably make it again, I'll just make sure that I'll line the pan next time and don't just rely on greasing it. Next time I'll also take a picture with a proper camera, not just with my phone and I will post the recipe with my own instructions that will hopefully be a little easier to understand. For now you can find the recipe here.

Sweet & Sour Roasted Onions

2009-05-14T10:41:00.005+01:00

Time still seems to be flying by. When does it stop?

Don't get me wrong, I like being busy but at this rate it'll be winter before I know it. I went to Germany last weekend to spend some lovely time with my family and friends, thanks to being able to get a return flight ticket for £20.00. This weekend I'll be catching up with some friends in Yorkshire so there won't be much cooking in my kitchen again.

But, before I go away again I thought I'd quickly share this Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall recipe, which was published in the Guardian Weekend quite a while ago. I love onions, especially slow cooked or roasted as it brings out their natural sweetness. This makes a great side dish to go with any meat or fish.

Sweet & Sour Roasted Onions (serves 4)

1 lb small red onion or shallots, peeled and cut in halve
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick celery, finely chopped (optional)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon concentrated tomato puree (paste in the US)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons light muscovado sugar
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 190°C/Gas 5.

Put your onions in one layer into an oven dish.

Line the dish with baking paper, as the sauce will caramelise, which otherwise would make it quite a pain to clean.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the celery over medium heat until soft, for about 5 minutes. If you're not using any celery, just start with the next step, but shorten the frying time to two minutes. (I never use the celery as it isn't on my list of favourite vegetables.)

Add the garlic and sauté for a further five minutes.

Remove from the heat and add all the other ingredients, apart from the onions and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Season liberally with salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the onions.

Mix well until all the onions are coated evenly.

Place in your oven and roast for about one hour, stirring once halfway through.

The onions are done, when they are soft and caramelised, start checking after 45 minutes. The time depends a bit on their size.

Summer Berry Lemon Drizzle Cake

2009-05-04T20:40:00.007+01:00

Another occasion, another cake.

My friend N. retired a few weeks ago and since the leaving dos at work are usually quite a stiff affair, he decided he much rather wanted to have a picnic on a beach in Wales with all his friends. So yesterday we filled up quite a few cars with people and food and headed for Anglesey.

I think I can safely say that a wonderful time was had by all. What else is to be expected from a day full of sun, sand, sea, food and friends! Even though generally sand and food don't always mix that well, but only a few slices of smoked salmon and a couple of sausage rolls fell victim as far as I know.

I took a Summer Berry Lemon Drizzle Cake along for the picnic. The recipe comes from my Avoca Tea Time cookbook. I bought the book last year whilst on holiday in Ireland after sampling some of the fantastic cakes in the Avoca Cafes. Just like everything I had tried in the tea rooms, this cake was delicious and went down really well with everyone who tried it.

Summer Berry Lemon Drizzle Cake

225gr unsalted butter, softened
225gr caster sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
225gr self-raising flour
1/2tsp baking powder
35gr ground almonds
juice of and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
225gr mixed summer berries

juice of and finely grated zest of 3 lemons
175gr caster sugar

200gr summer berries (optional)

Preheat your oven to 150C/Gas 2.

Grease and line a 23cm springform pan. (Mine is 25cm and worked fine.)

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until it becomes pale in colour.

Then slowly add the eggs bit by bit and continue to beat until well combined.

With a wooden spoon gradually fold in the flour, ground almonds and baking powder.

Fold in the juice and zest of 1 lemon and finally half of the berries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared springform pan and spread it out evenly.

Top with the other half of the berries and bake for about an hour in your preheated oven. Mine took about an hour and ten minutes until the inserted wooden skewer came out clean.

Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack.

While the cake is still hot, warm the sugar with the zest and juice of three lemons in a sauce pan, stirring until the sugar disolves.

Prick the cake in several places with a wooden skewer and pour the hot sugar/lemon syrup over the warm cake. Don't forget to put some tin foil underneath your wire rack when you do this. It makes the cleaning up much easier as otherwise you'll have loads of sticky syrup on your table or worktop.

When the cake is cool top it with some extra summer berries (optional) and serve.

Food and Friends

2009-04-25T17:57:00.010+01:00

I haven't really got a new recipe to share, as I've been cooking and baking a lot of old favourites lately, like Nigella's Chocolate Guinness Cake (the link it takes you to my older post about the cake and the recipe).

If you've been following this blog you will by now have realised that there isn't much gourmet cooking or haute cuisine going on in my kitchen. The reason for that is that to me food and cooking is all about love, enjoyment, flavours and above all sharing with friends. I'm not saying that gourmet meals can't be all of those things too, but I generally like things a little more rustic and unpretencious. At least at home.

I've been really lucky these last few weeks and months, as there's been a lot of eating, drinking, talking and laughing with friends. That's what makes me tick and that's what makes me happy.

So this is a big THANK YOU to all of the lovely people in my life. Friends and family, who let me share with them, who come to my house and invite me into theirs. You know who you are. You make me happy!

Spicy Roast Aubergine with Chickpea Stew and Jeweled Couscous

2009-04-23T11:49:00.008+01:00

This has to be one of the best new recipes I have tried in quite a while.

My friends Lucy and H came round for a relaxed, girls only, midweek dinner last night. I started looking for things to cook the day before, as I wanted to use the opportunity and try out something new. I know that can be slightly risky business when you have guests, but I knew the girls would be forgiving and anyways when I saw the recipe on the Vegetarian Society Website, I was pretty sure that it was going to be good.

Well, good it was. I think I even heard the words 'better than sex' uttered by somebody. I made the chickpea stew the night before, so I just had to marinate and roast the aubergine and quickly make the couscous. The list of ingredients and the instructions look long but it all came together simply enough and the dish has loads of different flavours that work together really well. Every mouthful adds a new level.

I nearly slipped up, I forgot to add the toasted almonds. After we had finished our first serving I realised and quickly added them. They took the dish to a whole different level again, so make sure you don't forget them!

We rounded off the meal with fresh raspberries that Lucy had brought and Easy Peasy All in One Lemon Drizzle Cake. I made the cake using some home made Lemon Curd that Lucy had given to me last week. Delicious!

As with most recipes, I adjusted it ever so slightly and here's my version:

Spicy Roast Aubergines with Chickpea Stew and Jeweled Couscous (serves 4)

For the aubergines:
2 aubergines cut into bite sized cubes
1 bunch fresh mint, finely chopped
2 lemons, juice of
4 cloves garlic, minced
2tsp ground coriander
2tsp paprika
2tsp ground cumin
2tsp ground black pepper
1tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp harissa paste
1/2-1 tsp salt
4tbsp olive oil

For the chickpea stew:
2 onions, sliced
2tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1tsp paprika
pinch cayenne
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
150ml vegetable stock
1tbsp caster sugar
3tbsp tomato puree
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
1 bay leaf
salt, to taste
2tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

For the couscous:
700ml vegetable stock
350g couscous
1 lemon, grated rind only
4tbsp olive oil
50g flaked almonds, lightly toasted
75g dried apricots, chopped
3tbsp golden raisins
3tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the roast aubergines, place the chopped aubergines in one layer in an oven proof dish.

In a seperate bowl mix all the other ingredients together to make a marinade.

Pour over the aubergines and toss well until they are evenly coated.

Cover and allow to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 190C/Gas 5.

Place the aubergines into the hot oven, uncovered and roast them for 30 minutes or until soft.

While they are cooking you can make the chickpea stew, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and fry the onions until soft and beginning to slightly brown. (Or like me you can make this the previous night.)

Add the minced garlic and the spices and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes and sugar and simmer gently until it has reduced a bit and starts to thicken.

Add the tomato puree, drained chickpeas and the bay leaf.

Bring back to a simmer and cook for five more minutes.

Season to taste and stir in the chopped coriander, remove the bay leaf.

To make the couscous, put the couscous in a pan and pour the hot vegetable stock over.

Bring to a boil, cover and remove from the heat.

Allow to stand for five minutes before fluffing it up with a fork.

Add the apricots, golden raisins, toasted almond slivers and chopped coriander and fold them in.

Layer all three components in a large serving bowl, starting with the couscous, followed by the chickpea stew and finally topping it with the roast aubergines.

Sausage and Potato Goulash

2009-04-14T17:21:00.008+01:00

The girls visit is slowly drawing to a close. I have to put them on a plane back to Germany on Thursday, where I'm sure their parents will be more than happy to see them after their ten day stay with me in England.

Tomorrow evening we're all invited over for dinner at my friend J's house, so I only had to come up with one more kid-friendly recipe to keep them happy. We already had the usual spaghetti bolognese, chicken and chips, pizza and tacos, so I tried to get some inspiration by looking through some of my cookbooks. When flicking through Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros, one of my favourite cookbooks, I came across this recipe for Sausage and Potato Goulash. I read it out to N and L and they both thought it sounded good, so off to the supermarket we went to buy the ingredients.

I halved the recipe when I made it, but below you find it as it's printed in the book. I also added some carrots and used vegetable stock instead of water for extra flavour. The result was a hearty, rustic meal that was enjoyed by all three of us. In fact the kids asked if we could have it again tomorrow. That's what I call a result.

Sausage and Potato Goulash (serves 8)

750gr good quality sausage, sliced into 1cm chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
30gr butter
1 large red onion, chopped finely
1-2 tsp sweet paprika
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
250gr chopped tomatoes from a tin
a piece of cassia bark or 1/2 cinamon stick (I used the cinnamon stick)
1 bay leaf
500ml water
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a large heavy based pan and fry the onion for a few minutes.

Add the paprika, stir and fry for another minute, before adding the sausage.

Fry the sausage until it begins to brown in places.

Add the rest of the ingredients, apart from the parsley, stir, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop it from sticking.

If the potatoes are not quite done after that time turn the heat off and continue to steam them by just leaving the lid on the pan until they are done.

Add the parsley just before serving.